Three missing sport heroes are headed home.

Stolen memorabilia cards of New Orleans Hornets star Chris Paul, football legend Earl Campbell and baseball’s clutch hitter Reggie Jackson were recovered this week thanks to some eBay savvy victims, Capt. George Bonnett, spokesman for the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, said.

Christian Sather, 37, of 40145 Taylor’s Trail near Slidell, was arrested after he allegedly stole the rare cards from two card shops in Jefferson Parish and Baton Rouge, then posted them for sale on the online auction Web site eBay, Bonnett said.

Sather

The victims, Bruce Fuselier in Baton Rouge and Mark Channing in Jefferson Parish, notified authorities immediately after the collectible cards — worth $1,200 in all — went missing.

“But then (Channing) went to work on his own,” Bonnett said.

Scouring the Internet for anyone selling the Paul card, a rare autographed version with a limited print, Channing stumbled upon a Slidell area man selling the identical card on eBay.

“He was certain he had found the bandit,” Bonnett said. A phony account was created, and Channing placed a bid.

The game clock was ticking. Channing finally won and retrieved the man’s address to send a money order but not before uncovering two other rare stolen cards also for sale, both of Jackson, aka Mr. October, and Campbell, aka The Tyler Rose. He alerted Fuselier, and together the pair traveled to Sather’s house near Slidell, Bonnett said.

“It was all elementary, my dear Watson,” Bonnett said. “The mystery was almost solved.”

While the pair didn’t knock on Sather’s door, the duo did call a Sheriff’s Office deputy, who arrived shortly thereafter.

When questioned, Sather admitted to trading cards with both businesses but refused to explain how he obtained the cards, Bonnett said. He was arrested and booked into St. Tammany Parish Jail on two counts of possession of stolen property. He was released Tuesday in lieu of a $10,000 bond.

For authorities, it was a game-winning touchdown.

“CPIII, The Tyler Rose and Mr. October have returned home,” Bonnett said.