ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Weeks after an Albuquerque card shop was broken into, with the thief stealing thousands of dollars in Pokémon cards , the shop owners are now thanking the community for helping police track down the man they say is responsible.
“You know, big shout out to apd for being able to pick up the guy. We didn’t think that that would happen. You know, we wish he was held for more than 24 hours. That’s really unfortunate and kind of doesn’t feel like much of a deterrent for anyone trying to ruin someone’s Christmas like he did ours,” said Joe Benitez, owner of Old Town Hobbies And Games. The store was broken into on December 8th, where police say, 33-year-old Brian Bettis broke in and stole thousands of dollars’ worth of pokemon cards. Since the break in, old town hobbies and games says the damage and stolen merchandise is now closer to $20,000. Bettis was arrested on Friday but has since been released on his own recognizance because prosecutors did not file for pretrial detention.