Former JoCo deputy loses police license after fraudulently trying to buy Pokémon cards

A Johnson County deputy lost his Kansas police license after he tried to fraudulently purchase Pokémon cards.

William C. Knight was charged with one count of an unlawful act involving a theft detection shielding device, a felony, according to court records.

He had been employed with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office from March 2019 to May 2022, according to the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training (CPOST), the agency responsible for issuing, suspending and revoking state law enforcement licenses.

On May 13, Knight was in uniform and shopping at a retail store, CPOST records said. He went to a self-checkout with several Pokémon card sets and groceries. A security guard became suspicious and approached Knight, who said he had to leave on a “call.”

He was later identified and admitted he removed bar codes from inexpensive items he had at home and fraudulently placed them on the Pokémon cards to buy them at a lower cost, CPOST records said. The cards had a retail value of about $394.

He was charged and entered a diversion agreement in August.

Knight’s attorney Kevin Dellett said his client was an Iraq combat veteran who was excited to serve his community.

‘Unfortunately, in a time of severe stress and anxiety, he exercised poor judgment, leading to this arrest and charge,” Dellett said in a statement. “Despite his discharge from the JCSO, Mr. Knight is gainfully employed, supporting his family and trying to make amends to the victim, his community and his family through the DA’s diversion program.”

Sgt. Jesse Valdez with the sheriff’s office said Knight “separated” from the agency on May 16, but did not comment further on the circumstances.

Some misdemeanor and all felony convictions bar an individual from having a police license. A diversion is considered a conviction under Kansas law.