Danica Davidson
June 22, 2023 
In recent weeks someone has been setting up explosives in Aberdeen, Maryland, worrying inhabitants. But police believe they have the man responsible, and they credit Pokémon cards for helping them crack the case.
What were these explosions like? A person living in the area gave this description: “Initially, they were happening during the day. Then, they started happening later and later at night, getting louder and louder.”
Another person remarked, “The percussion was so aggressive it actually shook my house and sent pictures flying off my wall.”
While police were checking out one of the many explosive crime scenes, they noticed Pokémon cards in the crater. That got an Aberdeen police officer thinking about how he’d recently arrested a man who had Pokémon cards with him at the time. Was it more than a coincidence?
The police got a search warrant and raided the man’s home. While many people own Pokémon cards, they got something more concrete than just a coincidence: in the end, the man, Jeremiah E. Burnette, confessed he was the person behind the explosives.
Burnette has been arrested and paid his bond. According to FOX5, he is being charged with “two counts of possessing a destructive device and two counts of using a destructive device.” While Burnette has admitted to the crimes, he insists he didn’t know what he was doing was illegal. He also said to CBS, “It’s definitely not out here to leave a calling card. That’s not my intention whatsoever. Now, I got people online calling me the ‘Pokebomber.’ It’s kind of embarrassing honestly.”
There have been a number of Pokémon-related crime stories lately, but not like this. Instead, they’ve been related to people stealing the cards for their money, and one case of an international drug ring allegedly using Pokémon art cases to ship cocaine.
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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