A shocking school incident occurred in Dothan, Alabama, USA—a 77-year-old volunteer teacher physically assaulted a student under the age of 10 following a dispute over Pokémon cards, and was subsequently arrested by police.
According to a statement released on the Dothan Police Department's official website, the incident occurred on August 31, 2026, at Jerry Lee Faine Elementary School in Dothan, Alabama. On that day, the school resource officer received a report of a physical altercation between a volunteer teacher and a student under the age of 10.
Investigations identified the teacher involved as 77-year-old Oscar Truitt Jr. Surveillance footage from the scene showed that Truitt "struck the child multiple times" after disputing with the student over Pokémon cards. Truitt was subsequently charged with harassment and detained at the Dothan City Jail.
The police emphasized in their statement: "Ensuring student safety is the top priority of the Dothan Police Department within the Dothan school system."
As of now, the police have not released further details, including which specific Pokémon card(s) sparked the dispute, or whether the involved student is in good health.
In fact, legal cases involving Pokémon cards are not uncommon. There have been several similar reports in recent years: recently, a collector posed as a buyer in a "sting operation" attempt to recover stolen cards worth $4,000—three rare PSA Grade 10 cards that had been swindled by a scammer using counterfeit money during a transaction; this past May, a man in Florida was arrested for allegedly breaking into a card shop with a chainsaw and stealing Pokémon cards worth over $10,000.
The Pokémon card craze has spawned widespread reselling and theft issues. Card shops in many parts of Japan have even begun implementing measures such as facial recognition systems and pre-purchase quizzes to curb reselling and ensure cards reach actual players.