On Saturday, Walmart loss prevention employees watched as Calhoun County correctional officer Josh Hardy, who was still in uniform, opened several Pokemon packs and pocketed individual cards within direct eye line of them. He then left the store without paying, only to be co✨nfronted by those same employees. Ins♛tead of fessing up, Hardy fled the scene.
As reported by (via ), Oxford, Alabama police responded to a call from Walmart about the theft and set out to lo♚ok for their card-stealing colleague. Later that night, they found Hardy at a local restaurant with the Pokemon cards still on his person. He was swiftly arrested and placed in jail, all while still inꦯ uniform.
"It is with great embarrassment that we have to report this incident," Sheriff Matthew Wade said. "Hardy has been terminated from the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office. He has tarnished our agency and the image of all law enforcement. As sheriff, I promised to be transparent and hold my staff accountable to a standard higher than average citizens."
With his arrest and firing, Hardy is now facing criminal charges. But it's still unclear what his motives or even expectations were - was he stealing the cards to pawn on eBay? For a family member? Just because he wanted a specific 'mon? We don't know. And how he expected to get away with the crime after allegedly doing it so brazenly in front of the store's staff is also unclear. Maybe he thought he could turn invisible like Haunter and fly right out the front door with his stolen goods.
Funnily enough, this isn't the only trading card theft to take place this month. On August 5, it was reported that 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:$300,000 worth of TCG cards had b༺een stolen from Gen Con 2023 in the Indiana Convention Center. Two thieves stole a pallet's worth of cards prior to any of the booths being set up, meaning it happened early in the morning before anyone could catch them in the act. However, CCTV footage was shared of the two, with police asking the public for help in identifying them.
Only yesterday, it came to light that 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the two are🀅 alleg🐲edly board game designers. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department claim the pair are Thomas J. Dunbar and Andrew Pearson Giaume, who may have been at the convention to sell their Kickstarter product, Castle Assault. On the CCTV footage, one of them even appears to be wearing a shirt with the game's logo and key art.
The poliꦐce put out a statement saying that they "woul🦄d like to speak" with the pair, who are believed to be residents of New York City.