A Beaverton woman has been taken into custody in connection with the theft of a backpack filled with $50,000 worth of sports memorabilia and jewelry from a MAX stop, local authorities reported. The backpack, lost by the owner at the Beaverton Transit Center while disembarking a MAX train from Portland International Airport, contained items including highly prized sports trading cards featuring the likes of Mickey Mantle and Kobe Bryant. KOIN indicates the Mantle card alone has a value of $5,000.
Dawn Castro, 34, was identified by Beaverton Police as the perpetrator after security footage captured her picking up the lost backpack. Shortly after the incident, as reported by Valley Times News, she placed some of the stolen items for sale on Facebook Marketplace. The missing items were listed on the platform, and an operation was mounted, which ultimately resulted in her apprehension.
Further investigation led to the recovery of pawned jewelry at a local shop, while the more substantially valued items remained in Castro's possession until her arrest yesterday around noon. According to KPTV, Beaverton Police orchestrated a meeting under the guise of potential buyers. The goods, including the cards and the previously pawned jewelry, were subsequently returned to the rightful owner.
The resolution follows a loss that quickly turned into a criminal entanglement, where collectibles and personal treasures briefly slipped through fingers before the law intervened. Castro now faces Aggravated Theft in the 1st Degree, ensuring a measure of justice for the unnamed victim whose travels were marred by misfortune but who may find solace in the return of prized possessions. The items that tempted fleeting possession by one are now beckoned back to their owner, much like the ballplayers on those cards once rounded the bases heading for home.
