A KANSAS police officer has been dismissed after trying to scam a store out of Pokémon cards worth around $400 (£340).
The former Johnson county sheriff deputy was caught after he tried to trick the cashier into selling him Pokémon cards at a reduced price.
Rare Pokemon cards can sell for thousands.
William C. Knight was charged with one count of an unlawful act involving a theft detection shielding device, a felony, according to court records.
The former cop had taken barcodes from cheap items around his home, and tried to replace the barcodes on 12-pack booster boxes of Pokémon cards.
These boxes usually sell for around £130 ($150), and if successful he would have scammed the store out of hundreds of dollars.
He went to the register with a number of other items and groceries in order to try to hide the incorrect pricing of the cards.
According to The Kansas City Star, the store noticed the deceit, and when a security guard approached him, Knight said he had to take a call and left.
However, he was soon identified and caught for the crime he has since been charged with.
Knight wasn’t fired from the role, as he had left the position of sheriff’s deputy three days after the incident.
He was, however, discharged from the force, meaning he should not be hired again for a role in the state.
His lawyer, Kevin Dellett, said of the incident: “Unfortunately, in a time of severe stress and anxiety, he (Knight) exercised poor judgement, leading to this arrest and charge.
“Despite his discharge from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Mr. Knight is gainfully employed, supporting his family
“[He’s] trying to make amends to the victim, his community and his family through the district attorney’s diversion programme.”
He escaped jail time or fines, and instead has to participate in and complete a diversion programme.
This is a programme that someone has to complete in order to fulfil their sentence.
It can include things such as an anger management course, or drug rehabilitation course, though it is unclear what it consists of in this case.
Earlier this year a warehouse worker in London was caught with over £60k ($72k) worth of Pokémon cards in his home that he had stolen from work.
Written by Georgina Young on behalf of GLHF.
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