PATASKALA, Ohio — An Ohio woman is accused of stealing approximately $12,500 in money from cookies sales and event fees, authorities said.
Jill W. Gauthier, 49, of Pataskala, was indicted on one count of theft on Feb. 11, according to Licking County online court records. The indictment is a fourth-degree felony.
Gauthier is accused of depositing cookie money and other fees from her Girl Scout troop into her own bank account, WSYX reported.
A Central Ohio Girl Scouts troop leader has been charged for allegedly stealing $12,500 in money from cookie sales and event fees. https://t.co/VyxoOpc2VI pic.twitter.com/UZozRvt79t
— WSYX ABC 6 (@wsyx6) March 23, 2021
“She asked parents for money for various field trips and pocketed the money,” the television station reported, citing an anonymous source.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said Tuesday that Gauthier had been taking the money for about five years, WKBN reported.
“She was literally caught with her hand in the cookie jar -- an adult-size jar that should carry an adult-size timeout in a place with locking doors and barred windows,” said Yost said in a statement. “How many boxes of Thin Mints will her troop need to sell to make up for her betrayal?”
Parents of Girl Scout troop members notified police, who started the investigation involving Yost’s Charitable Law Section and the Pataskala Police Department, WKBN reported.
Gauthier is expected back in court on May 5, according to Licking County online records.
Cox Media Group
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