A prison officer still in uniform was arrested in Calhoun County after allegedly attempting to steal approximately $200 worth of Pokémon cards on Aug. 12.
Josh Dale Hardy, a Calhoun County correctional officer at the county jail, allegedly completed his shift and then attempted the theft at Walmart—while still wearing his officer uniform.
Sheriff Matthew Wade confirmed the arrest and that the accused “had taken his uniform shirt off, turned it inside out, and was still wearing it, the star badge could still be seen.”
Security staff at Walmart attempted to stop Hardy but he began to run from the area, resulting in a foot pursuit before Oxford police arrived in the area and took the accused to Oxford City Jail without further incident.
In a statement, Sheriff Wade expressed he was “embarrassed and infuriated” by the alleged actions and, whenever there was a serious incident involving one of his officials, he will always let the community know.
As soon as the Sheriff was made aware of the accusations, Hardy was terminated from his employment with the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, it has been reported.
Instances of theft involving Pokémon cards are not new. Back in June, a burglar stole around 30,000 Pokémon cards, along with other household valuables in a theft that saw the thief make off with around $12,000 worth of gear.
In April, the Pokémon TCG community was left enraged after reports that printing staff were stealing rare cards, though the situation was later downplayed in a response from The Pokémon Company.
