Comic Book Store Spots Stolen Magic Cards, Sets Up Sting With Police
ROSEVILLE (CBS13) — Employees at a comic book shop in Roseville spotted stolen magic cards and set up a sting operation to catch the thieves who took them.
It happened Sunday at A-1 comics on Sunrise Avenue after the thieves were caught trying to sell them the stolen property.
At A-1 Comics, you'll find magic cards worth big money.
Store Manager Nick Barber says, "There's a few cards in the series that are now worth $10,000 to $20,000, ridiculous! When people come in with that "I don't know what I have mentality, it's pretty easy to recognize.'"
Barber says the magic community is close. "It's a small community and you get to know the people," he said.
On Saturday, employees didn't recognize two new customers with rare cards to sell.
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"We will start asking them, 'Hey are these your cards?' And their answers just don't lineup," he said.
Feeling like something was off, the workers kept the cards overnight, telling the suspects, they would check to see how much they could offer for their collection, and get back to them.
"Our employee started calling our other locations to see if they had a stolen collection, which they had," Barber said.
Someone had reported the Magic collection stolen in Folsom. The victim was an 18-year-old man with a collection worth at least $1,000.
"The cards, in fact, were stolen from a vehicle break-in that happened in the Folsom area," said Rob Baquera with the Roseville Police Department.
Police confirmed the property was stolen, so the employees teamed up with Roseville Police to catch the thieves red-handed.
"We called the thieves back and let them know, 'Hey you can come in and pick up your money. We have a bunch of money for you,'" Barber said.
"As the suspects entered the store, they were positively identified," said Baquera.
Jesse Casey and Sarah Huber walked in as police hid in the back office.
"They were there expecting some cash for the cards, unfortunately, they were met with police officers and were ultimately arrested," said Baquera.
"They got to take a trip downtown, and I don't think we will be seeing them for a while," said Barber.
Jesse Lee Casey, 42, and Sarah Marie Huber, 35, were arrested for possession of stolen property, attempting to sell stolen property, and several other drug-related charges.
