Not content with elbowing through crowds to hoard Pokémon stock the second the store doors click open, one collector has taken things to a new low by stalking a delivery driver. 72-year-old Kent Kubasta has pleaded no contest to tracking a woman’s van to follow fresh stock, and in a twist of irony, has now been sentenced to 90 days of GPS monitoring.
As reported by Dexerto, an Ohio court placed Kubasta on 12 months of probation, with GPS monitoring for the first three months. He was also ordered to pay a $500 fine and a $25 monthly supervision fee, and must have no contact with the driver. If he fails to comply with any of these terms, he could be sent to jail for up to six months.
How Kubasta Was Caught
Kubasta was caught after the driver found a Spytec GPS tracker on her van while making a delivery to Walmart and reported it to Wooster Police. Kubasta initially pleaded not guilty, but later changed his plea to no contest. An affidavit signed by Wooster police revealed that Kubasta “admitted to placing the tracking device on [the driver’s] car to track her location/delivery of Pokémon cards,” though the woman in question remains anonymous.
Of course, I was being melodramatic in the intro. Kubasta didn’t stalk the driver per se, but rather the stock of cards she was delivering. That said, the illegal use of a tracking device is a first-degree misdemeanor in Ohio.
It’s unclear what exactly Kubasta planned to do with the delivery information, but considering the string of Pokémon robberies in recent months, it’s easy to let speculation run wild. Two Pokémon stores in New York were robbed at gunpoint just five days apart in January, with more than $100,000 worth of cards and other merchandise stolen between them. Of course, Kubasta could have simply been keeping tabs on which Walmart stores were receiving new stock so he could legally buy it himself; the court documents don’t say.
Whatever the motive, Pokémon cards have become increasingly profitable on the secondary market, with sought-after cards and sealed products regularly selling for hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Remember when trading cards were for kids and not scalpers? Good times.
- Original Release Date
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October 20, 1996
- Player Count
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2
- Age Recommendation
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6+
- Length per Game
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Variable
- Franchise Name
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Pokemon
