A 55-year-old Ceres man who was wanted for auto theft was picked up by a Ceres Police officer who randomly spotted him walking down the sidewalk Thursday morning.

Officer Eric Souza was patrolling the 1500 block of Richland Avenue at 9:05 a.m. when he spotted Alfredo Gonzalez Figueroa, 55, of Ceres. The officer was familiar with Figueroa because of prior contacts and knew he had an outstanding felony warrant for auto theft and possession of a stolen vehicle. Officer Souza arrested the suspect and booked him into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center.