Employee Finds Hole in Store Security, Steals Collector Cards, Police Say

An employee at The Gathering Ground, a gaming store in Valley Park, stole more than $4,000 in Pokemon and YugiOh collector’s cards and merchandise from the establishment, St. Louis County Police said.

Calvin Reynolds, 22, of the first block of San Marcos Drive in the Jefferson County portion of Fenton, was charged Thursday with second-degree burglary and felony theft.

St. Louis County Police said Reynolds returned to the store after hours and took boxes and tins of Pokemon and Yugi-Oh valued at $4,000 from a hole in the business’ exterior wall at 10 North Elam Ave. in Valley Park.

Police said the owner suspected Reynolds was stealing and became more convinced of this when he watched security tapes that showed Reynolds driving his vehicle to the rear of the business after closing hours on June 5 and June 6.

There was a hole in the wall at the rear of the building. The hole was next to shelving that contained a box of trading cards that the owner knew to be missing, according to the police report.

Bail for Reynolds was set at $15,000.