Suspect Jailed in Bid to Sell Babe’s Autographed Ball
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FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A man who tried to sell a Babe Ruth autographed baseball has been caught stealing, police say.
When Scott Hasemeier tried to unload the prized autograph at Bud’s Baseball Cards, a local memorabilia shop, he attracted immediate attention.
Owners of the shop recognized the baseball as the property of Neil McRae Whitefield, an avid collector whose home was burglarized on Aug. 17. The ball signed by the late Hall of Fame slugger is valued at $6,000.
Hasemeier, 30, claimed he got the ball in a trade--for crack cocaine, police say.
When he was arrested, Hasemeier was wearing a shirt owned by Whitefield, police said.
Hasemeier was charged with possessing and dealing in stolen property.
And the autographed baseball was returned to Whitefield.
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