ROCKVILLE, Md. — Police say a man made off with money raised by a local Girl Scout troop that was selling cookies in Rockville over the weekend.
Montgomery County Police officers were called to the Safeway in the 14000 block of Shady Grove Road just before 2 p.m. on Sunday. The victim told officers that she noticed someone sitting on a bench nearby for about 20 minutes. Then, the man got up, grabbed the box containing money, and ran away.
It is not clear how much money was in the cash box at the time that it was snatched.
Responding officers searched the area for the man, but did not find him. They also searched nearby for any possible surveillance video of the incident.
The victim of the robbery said she did not want to press charges if they find the man, she just wants the cash returned.
A representative from the Girl Scouts, Lidia Soto-Harmon, issued the following statement:
"Girl Scouts Nation's Capital puts safety first for all our Girl Scouts. We have high standards for booth selection of booth locations and training for all adults to ensure the safety of our girls. We are saddened by this incident but know that the authorities are following the case. We have worked with the parents and girls and they are ready to go back out this coming weekend and sell cookies again. The council has worked with the troop to make them whole during this loss.
We want the community to go out and support these amazing Girl Scouts that are learning entrepreneurial skills, business ethics, goal setting all while giving back to the community with the civic good deeds."
This is not the first time a Girl Scout troop has been the victim of a robber. Back in March of 2020, someone stole between $1,500 and $1,800 from the young entrepreneurs.
Anyone who may have information about the Rockville case should contact the the Montgomery County Police Department's nonemergency line at 301-279-8000.
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