Guelph child relieved after his stolen Pokémon cards are recovered

Clarke Muia goes through his Pokémon card collection with his mother on Jan. 31. (CTV News/Spencer Turcotte)

A Grade 1 student from Guelph is glad to have his Pokémon cards back after they were stolen from school.

The hunt to recover them sparked a slew of community support.

Carla Muia said her son Clarke doesn’t usually take his binder, filled with Pokémon cards, to school but he did the day they were stolen.

“Upon bringing it, when he was in class, a child had gone into his backpack and taken the binder out,” Carla said. “The school started looking for the binder, the binder was retrieved from the bathroom but all the Pokémon cards were removed.”

It was a tough blow not only to Clarke but also to his mother, who said it could cost about $160 per card.

“I almost didn't pay [my] mortgage because I wanted to go out and buy a thousand new cards,” Carla said.

In an effort to find her son's cards, Carla posted in a Guelph Facebook group. She made a plea to parents from her son's elementary school, asking them to speak with their kids to see if they had the cards.

The post garnered hundreds of reactions from people expressing sympathy and asking how they could help.

“A lot of people wanting to give their duplicate rare cards – that was hard to say no to,” she said.

Clarke Muia's Pokémon cards. (CTV News/Spencer Turcotte)

In a matter of days Clarke was reunited with his card collection.

“The teachers were able to retrieve the cards. Two of the little boys came forward,” said Carla.

Clarke also received a different kind of card with an apology on it.

"Sorry Clarke for stealing your Pokémon," Clarke said, reading the card.

His family said there’s no hard feelings.

“Supposedly they're best friends now so what a great way to start a friendship – with trial and error and learning boundaries. So it's a win-win all around,” Carla said.

Clarke said he’s happy to have his beloved Pokémon card collection back so he can continue his quest to catch ‘em all.