“YOU DO NOT KNOW WHO I AM OR WHERE THESE CARDS CAME FROM”!!! BELIEVE IT OR NOT, POLICE SAY A ROUTINE TRAFFIC STOP UNCOVERED DOZENS OF POKÉMON PACKS, STOLEN ELECTRICAL HARDWARE, AND A WANTED DRIVER USING A SWAPPED RENTAL PLATE… LEAVING 41-YEAR-OLD WESLEY STRAMBLER FACING A FELONY THEFT CHARGE.
It began as an ordinary traffic stop along a roadway in Chambers County, Texas.
Troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety pulled over the vehicle.
The driver was identified by authorities as 41-year-old Wesley Strambler of Freeport.
According to Texas DPS, Strambler allegedly provided false identifying information to the troopers.
Authorities said he did so in an attempt to conceal his identity.
He was allegedly attempting to hide because he carried multiple outstanding felony warrants.
Those existing warrants included theft-related offenses, according to police.
Deputies from the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the scene to assist.
Together, law enforcement officers conducted a search of the vehicle.
Inside, troopers reportedly discovered a significant haul of unopened merchandise.
The vehicle contained approximately 100 unopened electrical components.
Troopers also located 96 unopened Pokémon booster packs stacked inside.
But the items inside the vehicle were not the only irregularity.
Troopers discovered that the license plate on the vehicle had allegedly been swapped.
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According to investigators, the plate had been taken from a rental vehicle.
Then investigators broadened the scope of the case.
Authorities obtained and reviewed surveillance footage from two separate hardware stores.
That footage reportedly linked Strambler to the theft of commercial supplies.
Specifically, troopers tied him to approximately 67 boxes of Eaton-brand receptacles.
Investigators estimated the total value of those stolen electrical receptacles at about $3,700.
Yet questions remained regarding the rest of the recovered cargo.
Investigators are now trying to locate the owner or owners of the remaining suspected stolen merchandise.
Authorities have asked anyone with information about the items to step forward.
Members of the public with information are asked to contact Lufkin DPS Communications at 936-699-7340.
Strambler was subsequently charged on two separate counts.
He was charged with Failure to Identify – Fugitive, designated as a misdemeanor offense.
He was additionally charged with Theft of Property, filed as a felony offense.
They had the swapped plate.
They had the store surveillance footage.
The charges are allegations and have not been proven in court.
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