Police Sting Operation Nets Suspect in Theft of Stolen Babe Ruth Card
A 20-year-old Atlanta man is facing charges of receiving stolen property after police in Pennsylvania set up a sting operation to recover a stolen Babe Ruth cut signature card worth thousands of dollars.
Tyshawn Guyton/Photo from North Lancaster County Regional Police
North Lancaster County Regional Police say Tyshawn Calvin Daniel Guyton tried to sell the card for $2,500 to a Pennsylvania man last Thursday night outside a Target store northeast of the city.
Police say the card had been reported stolen in Derby, CT.
According to a police report, Guyton texted the potential buyer, who knew the card was stolen. Police say Guyton told his potential customer that he was flying into Philadelphia and wanted to meet him at the store to complete the sale. The potential buyer then showed police the exchange of text messages and a sting was set up.
The collector was instructed by police to agree to the arrangement and set up a meeting at 8:30 PM in the store’s parking lot. The suspect stated that after flying in from Atlanta, he was getting an Uber ride from Philadelphia to the Lancaster area. The potential buyer stayed at his home and informed NLCRPD after getting word from Guyton that he had arrived at the Target store. Officers from the NLCRP were set up in position around the area with one of them utilizing binoculars from an elevated position.
As Guyton stepped out of the vehicle, officers confirmed with the Uber driver that he’d come from Philadelphia. They say a Derek Jeter card Guyton had also mentioned in his text message exchange with the collector was sitting in the backseat of the car. Officers say they located the stolen Ruth card in the pocket of Guyton’s sweatshirt and he was arrested.
Police–who offered some baseball analogies in their announcement— say the actual value of the card was estimated at $7,000 but exactly which Ruth card it was or how it wound up in Guyton’s possession wasn’t revealed.
