Thursday, February 10, 2000
Father charged in Pokemon theft
8,000 cards, other items recovered
BY SHEILA McLAUGHLIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MASON — A 35-year-old father of three was caught trying to “catch 'em all” from a popular Pokemon shop on U.S. 42, police said.
. Authorities said they struck Pokemon gold — finding 8,000 stolen cards, as well as games, stuffed figures and other items — when they responded to a domestic call Jan. 31 at the West Street home of Keith Ertel.
Mason Detective Patrick Ellis said Wednesday he has linked the items to the theft of $58,000 in merchandise taken in four break-ins since December at Collector's Paradise.
The shop, which also sells baseball cards and sports memorabilia, bills itself as “Pokemon Headquarters.”
Mr. Ertel is out on $2,500 bail after being charged with receiving stolen property. The case was referred to a Warren County grand jury Tuesday for possible indictment.
Detective Ellis said police think they recovered most of the items stolen from Collector's Paradise.
The investigation is continuing, and shop owner Allen Chilson said he's convinced others were involved in the theft that nearly wiped him out.
“It pretty much killed my business,” Mr. Chilson said from the shop on Wednesday.
“There had to have been somebody else. One person doesn't break into a shop. You have to use one as a lookout. You have to have someone to take the merchandise and stake the place out.”
He said Mr. Ertel was a regular customer of Collector's Paradise, often coming in with one of his children to reserve high-priced Pokemon items. Mr. Ertel recently had reserved a rare Japanese card and promotional CD valued at more than $300. The item had not yet come in, Mr. Chilson said.
He said the break-ins — on Dec. 7 and 12, and Jan. 4 and 9 — usually occurred just after a shipment of Pokemon merchandise arrived.
Among the higher-priced items he lost were a $150 Ancient Mew card and a first-edition Charzard card worth $350.
“The first couple of times they hit, all they took were American holographics. The second time the took all the holographics,” said Mr. Chilson who took to packing up his Pokemon inventory each night and taking it home so it wouldn't be stolen.
“After that, they just got greedy and they took everything. One time we only had 4-for-$1 cards, 2-for-$1 cards, and they even took those.”
Mr. Ertel didn't have a penchant just for Pokemon, according to police.
He also faces a second charge of receiving stolen property involving tools, knives and equipment recovered from his home. The tools, were taken in burglaries at Mason Lumber Co. last month, police said.
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