A month after Bellingham business burglarized, man allegedly tries selling merchandise back

A man suspected of stealing nearly $20,000 in Pokemon and Magic cards from a Bellingham business reportedly attempted to sell some of the cards back to the store nearly a month later.

The Bellingham Police Department booked Myles Vaughn Pajnogac, 37, into Whatcom County Jail Saturday, Sept. 3, on suspicion of first-degree malicious mischief, second-degree burglary, first-degree theft, second-degree possession of stolen property and first-degree trafficking. Jail records show Pajnogac was released Sunday, Sept. 4, on personal recognizance.

Shortly before midnight on Aug. 9, a trading cards store in the 3900 block of Meridian Street reported that it had been burglarized and nearly $20,000 worth of merchandise was stolen, according to the police department’s incident log.

The suspect entered the shop by smashing the front glass door and stealing several items, including Pokemon and Magic cards, Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald in an email.

At approximately 2:39 p.m. Saturday, police were called back to the shop after an employee called to report that a man, later identified as Pajnogac, was attempting to sell back some of the items suspected stolen on Aug. 9, Murphy reported.

The employee told police that when they confronted Pajnogac about the cards possibly being stolen, Pajnogac became belligerent and told the employee “I’ll rob you again (expletive),” before leaving, according to Murphy.

The cards were left behind, and the shop confirmed that they had the same unique characteristics as the ones that had been stolen nearly a month earlier, Murphy reported.

The shop also provided police with a photo of Pajnogac, according to Murphy, and at approximately 9:57 p.m. Saturday, an officer located and arrested him near the intersection of Eliza Street and Bakerview Road.

In addition to finding fentanyl and methamphetamine on Pajnogac, Murphy reported police also found more Pokemon cards, adding that, thus far, approximately $8,000 worth of stolen cards have been recovered.