Highlights
- Pokemon card theft is a prevalent issue in the US, with expensive cards being a popular target for thieves.
- A prison guard in Alabama was caught stealing Pokemon TCG cards from a Walmart, resulting in his arrest and job loss.
- The stolen cards were found in the guard's possession, and the value of the theft likely didn't exceed $500, making it a misdemeanor offense.
An Alabama-based prison guard lost his job and ended up in jail after getting caught stealing some Pokemon TCG cards from a local retailer. This development is just the latest in a long list of stateside cases of Pokemon card theft.
Pokemon TCG boosters and sets have long been a popular target for theft the world over. Since many of the most expensive Pokemon cards out there continue to exchange hands for eye-watering sums, that state of affairs is unlikely to change anytime soon.
The latest example of that troubling trend comes from Oxford, Alabama, where Calhoun County correctional officer Josh Hardy was caught stealing Pokemon cards at a local Walmart on Saturday, August 12. Some of the store staffers reportedly observed Hardy opening Pokemon TCG booster packs and pocketing the containing cards around 7 p.m., which prompted them to confront him. The fully uniformed officer then fled the Oxford Walmart on foot, after which the employees called the police, WVTM-TV reports.
The local authorities found him at a nearby restaurant shortly afterward, where he was apprehended and taken to jail. The stolen Pokemon cards were still in his possession at the time of the arrest. After ending up in jail, Hardy was promptly charged with theft. The transgression also cost him his job as a correctional officer. In a statement provided to local media outlets, Calhoun County Sheriff Matthew Wade described the incident as a "great embarrassment," adding that Hardy's actions damaged the image of the local Sheriff's Office and law enforcement, on the whole.
The total value of the goods allegedly stolen by Hardy is unclear. But seeing how local reports indicate that the former correctional officer at most stole whatever amount of cards could fit into his uniform pockets, it's likely that the stolen Pokemon TCG booster packs didn't exceed $500 in retail value. This would put Hardy on the hook for the theft of property in the fourth degree, which is a Class A misdemeanor in Alabama, punishable with a fine of up to $6,000 and a maximum prison sentence of one year.
The Alabama incident isn't the first recent instance of Pokemon-related crime involving U.S. law enforcement; back in November 2022, a Kansas-based police officer was also discharged after trying to scam a store for Pokemon cards. And while that offense cost him his job, the local District Attorney's office eventually entered into a diversion agreement with the perpetrator, thus indefinitely deferring prosecution, pending good behavior.
Source: WVTM-TV