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CBSNews /

CBS/ March 19, 2010, 11:32 AM

Cookie Monster Swipes Girl Scout's Cash

A surveillance camera caught a man stealing hundreds of dollars from a Girl Scout in Tacoma, Wash.

Police hope the surveillance video can help them crack the cookie case.

The footage shows scout Beverly Reed, 16, standing behind a table last week alongside her mother outside a Safeway store.

A man dressed in a blue-hooded shirt and gray cap is seen running up to Reed, grabbing $465 and taking off, leaving her heartbroken.

A teary-eyed Reed said, "I've been doing this for ten years and that's never happened to me - and (on) the last weekend of cookie (sales) -- and someone just steals from me. It's very
upsetting. .. It's a very tragic experience for me."

Reed says the thief watched her for some time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. He finally made his move as it began to rain and Reed began packing up her cookies. As she bent over, the cookie bandit
snatched the cash.

Reed yelled, "I can't believe that you did that! It's very rude!" But the thief got away.

She called 911 on her cell phone and ran into Safeway to get help.

When word of the theft spread, Reed's community stepped-up with donations to cover her losses.

One man gave her $500. And a radio station donated nearly $1,000. Reed's giving the extra money to a program that sends Girl Scout cookies to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Early Show" news reader Betty Nguyen told the story:


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23 Comments Add a Comment
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armyoftwelve says:
Just plain MEAN!
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Dgunner says:
DISALLOW THIS MAN FROM ANY PUBLIC ASSITANCE JUST BEFORE HIS THUMBS ARE CUT OFF AND THEN LET HIM GO TO SURVIVE IN THE DEEP WOODS.
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bakerygrl87 says:
Wow, this same thing happened to me a little over ten years ago. I was a little younger than her but it was my mom and I selling cookies at a table outside a grocery store after dark and two armed men took the money box. Just like in this story many astonished witnesses donated money and we got back what was stollen and more. Thankfully we didn't have the majority of the money in the box. My mom had taken it out when she first saw these two guys go into the store and got a bad vibe. Both men were caught shortly after and the juge gave them both the maximun sentence. There were some safety rules that were changed by the Girl Scouts after this incident such as don't sell after dark and there must be at least two girls and two parents at the booth. I hope this guy is caught too. Stealing from a girl scout is just so low.
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RoboBlogger says:
Good going JERK! Don't you feel proud of yourself now stealing from a little kid. Hopefully, someone amputates all your fingers when you get caught.
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CBSisCommunist5 says:
Socialized cookie tax ?
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curse914 replies:
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If only you knew what the word meant.
CBSisCommunist5 replies:
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I am sure the nice LIBERALS will expain it to me
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Leaderless says:
This guy is a pond scum, how low can you go.......
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rwsmith29456 says:
Rule for today. Anything that can be stolen will be stolen.
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lpgideon says:
My belief is this. Anyone who kills a cop or steels from a Girl Scout fall in the same category. To be hated by the staff and other inmates, when they get to prison.
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mpratt62 replies:
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You are an idiot if you really believe that cop killers are hated in prison.
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averjane says:
This is the look of innocence shattered. Many, many, hard lessons will come in life. She will become hardened. It's so sad.
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rdnorton says:
Its sad, I am glad to see that the community stepped up.
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