Arizona police hot on the trail of a Pokémon card heist were led to a suspect, who along with a woman and a baby in the vehicle, were in possession of drugs and a gun.
The Prescott Valley Police Department said officers were sent to a local business at 10 a.m. April 19 in response to shoplifting.
Workers at the business told police they had been watching two people suspected of stealing numerous items on eight separate occasions since September 2022.
When the investigator arrived, they learned that a man and a woman were observed by the loss prevention specialists swiping consumable goods, football cards, baseball cards and other items.
On April 19, the man was seen lifting $483 worth of Pokémon cards from the business.
The loss prevention staff identified 26-year-old Tyler Moore, and 25-year-old Brittany Bender, as the suspects.
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After learning about the theft, the investigator was running surveillance at the suspect’s home on North Taylor Drive, when just after midnight, a vehicle pulled into the driveway.
Police said both Moore and Bender were in the vehicle, as well as Bender’s 7-month-old baby, who was asleep in the back seat.
According to police, Moore and Bender have a history of illegal drug possession, and when spoken to that night, they gave inconsistent stories.
Prescott Valley Police K-9 Kato searched the vehicle Moore and Bender were in, and found over a pound of marijuana, seven baggies of cocaine, 20 psilocybin chocolate bars and a gun.
The psilocybin mushrooms, police added, were allegedly in boxes next to the baby in the back seat.
The Prescott Valley Police Department did not immediately respond to questions about the incident.
Moor and Bender face numerous charges including possession of dangerous drugs, possession of narcotics, possession of a weapon in a drug offense and endangerment.
The investigation into the matter is ongoing.
Police encourage anyone with information about the investigation to contact them at 928-772-9267.
