Pokemon Card Collector, 72, Arrested for GPS Tracking Vendor

A 72-year-old Cleveland man pleaded no contest to illegally tracking a woman who restocked Pokemon cards at local stores, using a GPS device hidden on her vehicle.

How far would you go to snag the hottest Pokemon cards? For one 72-year-old collector in Cleveland, apparently far enough to land in handcuffs. Kent Kubasta has been arrested after admitting to illegally tracking a woman who restocks local stores with Pokemon cards.

According to Fox8, Kubasta secretly placed an electronic GPS tracker on the woman's vehicle so he could follow her delivery route and see exactly where new card boxes were being dropped off. He then entered a plea of no contest to the charge and declined to comment when approached by press.

The tracker was eventually discovered by the driver while she was dropping off cards at a Walmart. The device, a Spytech GPS, allowed Kubasta to monitor her movements in real-time through a linked smartphone app. It's assumed he planned to visit each store and buy up stock as soon as it hit shelves.

Now, knowing when and where new Pokemon cards will be available is a big deal for fans struggling to find in-demand sets. But Kubasta's actions went way beyond the usual sharing of intel in social media groups or getting tipped off by friendly store owners. It was also just downright creepy.

Sentencing is still pending, but Kubasta could face up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. That's a hefty price to pay for a few card packs.

This incident comes amid a chaotic month for the Pokemon TCG. The release of the 30th Anniversary set has been marred by long lines, "ghost chairs," in-person fights, and even frustration from scalpers that rare cards are too easy to find. All of that is bad, except maybe that last one.

And the next set is already on the horizon. Earlier this week, IGN revealed three new card designs from the upcoming Pokemon TCG: Mega Evolution — Delta Reign set, which is due out on November 6.

So, what do you think? Would you ever go to such lengths for a card restock? Let us know in the comments.