Woman in Colorado ordered to repay stolen money from Girl Scout cookie funds
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — A Colorado woman has pleaded guilty to charges of embezzling Girl Scout cookie funds from her daughter's troop. The Daily Sentinel reported Wednesday that Jennifer L. Hooten, 32, of Clifton pleaded guilty to felony theft Sept. 13 and was ordered to pay $1,400 in restitution as part of a deferred judgment.
The newspaper also said Hooten will need to complete 48 hours of useful public service, according to the Mesa County Court Clerk's Office.
The judgment means her case will be dismissed if she meets court-ordered conditions in the next two years.
Hooten was arrested after other scout leaders discovered a bank account that should have had about $2,400 in cookie profits was overdrawn.
An arrest warrant affidavit says Hooten told officers she had planned to return the money before the theft was discovered. The affidavit said she sent other troop leaders a check for $1,000 after police interviewed her.
Kiele Ochoa, who has a daughter in the same troop that Hooten was leading, reacted to the news.
"When I first found out about it I was completely shocked and mind blown that someone could do something like that, especially to little kids," Ochoa told the Daily Sentinel.