Oklahoma Man Accused of Stealing Over $12,000 in…Pokémon Cards?
Don't mess with people's Pokémon cards.
To outsiders, it's something really hard to wrap your head around. Why would anyone be willing to spend so much money on a piece of cardboard with a cute little guy on it? And why are so many people doing it?
The world of collectibles is a fascinating one. Nerds are willing to pay ridiculous amounts of money for little trinkets that don't really do anything. Trading cards have been around for a while already. We all know how much an old Babe Ruth baseball card or whatever can go for. They're rare, and they're desired.
Pokémon cards are no exception. It's one of the big three in the trading card game world, along with Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh! Pokémon is also one of the biggest franchises in the world, so it's safe to say that there are at least a few people that are very fond of it.
All in all, these cards sell for a lot of money.
I mention all of this to lay the foundation for what happened about a year ago. Twenty-four-year-old Nicholas Garrison of Tulsa, Oklahoma was charged with second-degree burglary after being accused of stealing over $12,000 in Pokémon cards and trying to sell them in Bedford, Texas.
In October 2021, police found a shattered glass door to Yeti Gaming in Missouri. According to TrueCrimeDaily.com, blood and fingerprints were found on the display cases and about $12,257 worth of merchandise was stolen. A little over a week later, Garrison was arrested in Texas for trying to sell the stolen cards.
Police searched Garrison's phone and found that he had messaged multiple people on Facebook, bragging about his theft and offering to sell the cards. The St. Louis County Crime Lab later found that the DNA collected at Yeti Gaming matched Garrison. It wasn't until September 10th, 2022, however, that Garrison was charged with second-degree burglary, stealing $750 or more, and first-degree property damage.
This goes to show that even though the centerpiece of this story is something seemingly insignificant, theft is theft. This stuff is worth a lot of money and you're going to face charges if you try and swipe 'em up and make a quick buck off of it.
Don't mess with the nerds, man.