[In the player above, watch related coverage of a Late Utah father’s Pokémon collection set to fetch millions at auction.]
SANDUSKY, Ohio (WJW) — A now-former Sandusky Fire Department firefighter is accused of shoplifting $85 worth of Pokémon cards from a Walmart.
Chase Green, 27, of Sandusky, is now facing a misdemeanor count of theft for allegedly stealing three boxes of the collectible cards the afternoon of May 19.
While scanning items at a self-checkout machine, Green hid the card boxes’ barcodes under packs of gum which were “substantially” cheaper, a loss prevention officer told a Perkins Township police officer. The trick was caught by surveillance cameras, according to a police report.
Green told the officer he thought he could scan both items at once and offered to pay for the stolen items. He reportedly asked the officer “if this would be on his record because he was worried about losing his job,” the report reads.
When discussing the court process, Green reported told the officer: “Yeah I’ll probably just do the guilty thing. It seems like it’s the easier route.”
Green pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Sandusky Municipal Court on Monday, May 22, court records show.
Green, who was hired onto the city fire department in March 2022, was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation, fire Chief Mario D’Amico said Thursday.
Green ultimately resigned from the department on Wednesday, D’Amico said.