Just released from prison, Redding sex offender re-arrested – and then released – within hours

REDDING, Calif., — Authorities say a local parolee and sex offender who had just been released from prison the day before was arrested again within hours of arriving back in Redding after he was found wandering the streets and acting bizarrely Tuesday, Nov. 30.

At the time of his re-arrest yesterday morning, the suspect, Michael Don Woodruff, 34, of Redding, was found to be under the influence of methamphetamine and was in possession of a glass smoking pipe, according to officials.

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City of Redding police officers were dispatched to the area of Eureka Way and Court Street around 11 a.m., after an off-duty California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) employee called 911 and reported seeing a man wearing a CDCR prisoner outfit, Redding PD has since reported.

According to the caller, the man was walking in and out of the roadway while acting in an odd and bizarre manner and was seen using his hands to simulate pointing a gun toward passing vehicles.

Just released from state prison the prior day, Michael Woodruff was arrested again after he was found to be under the influence of methamphetamine. He was then released due to jail overcrowding, according to jail records. Redding PD photo

When officers arrived they quickly detained Woodruff without incident. During a subsequent search, he was found to have a methamphetamine smoking pipe and officers determined he was under the influence of narcotics.

“Officers learned that Mr. Woodruff was released from State Prison and was returned to Redding the evening prior and had already found the opportunity to find and use narcotics,” RPD went on to explain.

“Mr. Woodruff was sentenced in December of 2020 to a two-year prison sentence and was released after 1-year,” officials continued; adding, “He is on active parole for sex offender violations.”

Woodruff was booked into the Shasta County Jail in Redding on suspicion of violation of parole, possession of drug paraphernalia, and being under the influence. However, online jail records this morning indicated he was released on his own recognizance due to jail overcrowding and is no longer in custody.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.