Howdy, folks! Hope you’re all keeping well out there in the big wide world. Howe Weird’s got another little nugget of news that just goes to show you, sometimes the things folks get up to can be quite… unexpected.
Now, down in Stuart, Florida, a town I imagine has its fair share of interesting happenings, something unfolded at a Target store on a Sunday morning around 11 o’clock. Most folks are probably just heading in for their weekly groceries or maybe a new throw pillow, but for 33-year-old Matthew G. Sanchez, his trip had a different objective entirely.
The story goes that Mr. Sanchez decided he needed some Pokémon cards. And I’m not talking about a casual pack or two from the checkout aisle. Oh no, sir. Reports say he managed to conceal two whole boxes of these popular collectible cards. Now, anyone who’s been around these parts knows those aren’t just a few dollars anymore; we’re talking a value of over $1,200. That’s a pretty penny for a handful of pocket monsters, if you ask me.
After he had them tucked away, he made his exit from the store, seemingly without a care in the world – or, more accurately, without paying a single cent. But, as often happens in these tales, store security was on the ball. They followed Mr. Sanchez and managed to detain him right there until the deputies arrived on the scene.
When the law showed up, Mr. Sanchez was pretty open about his intentions. He admitted to taking the cards, telling officers his plan was to sell them. The reason, he explained, was to support a drug habit. It’s a sad turn of events, really, when a hobby or collectible that brings so much joy to so many can become entangled in such a difficult situation.
And the trouble didn’t stop there for Mr. Sanchez. During the course of his arrest, deputies found a pipe with burnt residue in his possession. Consequently, he wasn’t just charged with grand theft for the pilfered Pokémon cards but also with possession of drug paraphernalia.
You know, it makes you think about how things have changed. Back when I was a sprout, if you were collecting something, it might have been baseball cards or maybe even parts to tinker with. You’d go to a little shop, or maybe even a place like (paid link)Radio Shack, looking for that one specific resistor or a new antenna. It was a different kind of pursuit altogether, one where you usually paid for what you got.
It just goes to show, sometimes folks make choices that lead them down a winding road, and even something as seemingly innocent as a Pokémon card can be part of a much bigger, tougher story. If you’re looking to start your own collection legitimately, or maybe just curious about the craze, you can always find a wide variety of them online.
Check out Pokémon cards on Amazon: (paid link)
Original story from NBC-2.com