J.D. GallopFlorida Today
Updated Oct. 1, 2026, 3:12 p.m. ET
- The man claimed he received the comic, valued at around $2,000, from a friend who had passed away.
- He also had an outstanding warrant for allegedly stealing a high-value Pokémon card.
- John Higgins, 63, was charged with dealing in stolen property and false verification to a pawnbroker.
A Merritt Island man who told investigators he got a stolen first edition of a “The Walking Dead” comic book from a dead friend was arrested after pawning it to another dealer, Brevard sheriff’s agents reported.
John Higgins, 63, was charged with dealing in stolen property and false verification of ownership to a pawnbroker after a sheriff’s agent was notified that the certified comic, reported stolen from a Brevard shop, had been pawned in Volusia County, court records show.
The zombie-themed comic book, graded through a certified company which gave it a serial number and value of $2,000, came from a person who is deceased, Higgins told Brevard sheriff’s agents.
“Higgins said he got the comic book from his dead friend,” Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said of Higgins’ statements.
“On top of the theft he committed at the comic book store, Higgins also had a warrant from Melbourne Police Department, for stealing a high-dollar Pokémon card and trying to sell it to another store!!”
Agents received the pawn ticket filled out by Higgins during his visit to the Orange City shop that purchased the comic book.
“The Walking Dead,” created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore, was a popular comic book series focused on a zombie takeover, forcing survivors to band together against the “walkers” and survive in a post-apocalyptic world. The series was the inspiration for the hit zombie-genre AMC cable show, which in turn spawned several spinoffs, novels, webisodes and video games.
Higgins remained held without bond at the Brevard County Jail on Thursday, Oct. 1.
J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641or jgallop@floridatoday.com. X: @JDGallop.
