Police: Father Staged Burglary To Hide Theft Of Daughter's Girl Scout Cookie Money

FOREST GROVE, Ore. (CBS Local) -- An Oregon man faked a robbery to cover up the theft of his daughter's Girl Scout cookie money, according to authorities. Police said Brian Couture, 40, of Forest Grove, called 911 on March 6 and reported that someone had gotten into his home through a sliding glass door and fought with him.

Couture was unresponsive when police arrived and he was taken to the hospital. Authorities investigated and used K-9s to search for a suspect but no suspect was located, CBS affiliate KOIN reported.

Police said Couture later admitted that he had staged the incident. Detectives determined he did it to conceal the theft of money from a nonprofit organization.

Couture was arrested on March 18 and charged with initiating a false report and improper use of an emergency reporting system, both of which are misdemeanors. He plead not guilty to the charges in court on Friday.

A Girl Scouts spokeswoman confirmed Couture is the father of a Girl Scout and there is around $740 in unaccounted for cookie sales in connection with this case.

"Since the March 18 arrest in this case, we have been in contact with the Forest Grove Police Department and are working with them to resolve the matter," the Girl Scouts wrote in a statement. "At this time, Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington is following our normal procedure to collect on funds owed. The stewardship of Girl Scout troop funds is a top priority for our organization, and that is our focus in this matter."