Man Arrested After Allegedly Trafficking Stolen McDonald's Pokémon Cards
A man from Pima, Arizona was arrested on 14 August facing charges of theft and trafficking in stolen property, The Gila Herald reports. After being pulled over by an officer, it was discovered that Troy Partin, 32, had a box of McDonald's Pokémon cards in his car, which had been reported as missing.
A Pima Police report claims that an officer first pulled Partin over after he didn't stop at a stop sign at an intersection. Allegedly, after doing so, it was discovered that he didn’t have a license, but he claimed that he was driving to meet a friend in order to get money for food. The officer then found the box during a search of Partin’s vehicle, which was filled with 200 packages of Pokémon cards stamped with the McDonald’s logo - he claimed to have bought them himself, and was going to sell some to “his buddy”.
Shortly after, the officer discovered that Partin was employed at McDonald’s himself, which is when the store told police that the cards were considered stolen property. Allegedly, a different officer confirmed the theft, and Partin was fired from his job. Reportedly, he was on probation for drug-related charges already, and a petition was filed to revoke it on 16 August.
The cards in question were, of course, the new cards included in the Pokémon Happy Meals - the packs Partin stole were supposedly worth around $120 (£103). Partin was booked into the Graham County Adult Detention Facility following the arrest.