It may sound like a prank right out of an 1980’s comedy, but it really happened in Greeley — and resulted in an arrest.

Joey Eugene Gallegos, 39, was arrested Aug. 1 for allegedly stealing women’s underwear from the laundry room of an apartment complex, Greeley police spokeswoman Susan West said.

“This is one of the more unusual cases we’ve seen,” she said. “Some people didn’t even know their underwear was gone until we called them.”

Gallegos is suspected of taking the garments from a complex in the 1800 block of 30th Street and has been linked to other burglaries there, authorities said.

West said Gallegos admitted he stole the garments for “sexual gratification.”

Gallegos was arrested and had some women’s underwear with him. More than 350 items, mostly underwear, were found in his residence, police said.

Gallegos is being held in the Weld County jail, facing burglary and theft charges, police said.

Police believe there are numerous victims in this case, West said. “People might not even realize they’re a victim; they just think they lost their underwear.”

Anyone who has information on this cases, or is missing underwear, is asked to call detective Matt Walsh at 970-350-9549.