Judge accepts man's offer of new Nike sneakers as bail

A Massachusetts man convinced a judge he wouldn't be a flight risk by offering to post his new Nike sneakers as bail.

"OK, we'll take them," Framingham District Court judge Douglas Stoddard said in response to the offer by 39-year-old Jason Duval, who was facing jail time on an outstanding warrant, MyFoxBoston reported.

MetroWest Daily News reported that Duval was charged with illegal possession of a controlled substance and driving to endanger in 2012. He agreed to pay $450 in court costs to have the charges dismissed. The warrant was issued when he failed to pay any money and he was picked up on New Year's Day.

Duval told Stoddard he didn't want to go to jail but didn't have any money for bail because he was going through a divorce. The judge said he didn't want to release Duval without bail because he didn't believe he would come back and pay what he owed.

The judge also offered to wipe out the debt if Duval agreed to spend a few days in jail. Duval declined the offer.

"I'll give you a chance to be creative," Stoddard then told Duval, according to the newspaper. "If you can come up with a creative idea to convince me that you'll come back, I'll work with you."

After a short recess, Duval proposed putting up his shoes. He told Stoddard that he had gotten them as a Christmas present, and estimated their worth at $85 dollars. The judge said he would return the sneakers if Duval paid $100 in $25 weekly installments beginning Jan. 13 or if he completed 10 hours of community service in the same period.