Montgomery County Woman Accused Of Stealing More Than $10,000 From Cub Scouts And Girl Scouts
By Diana Rocco
OAKS, Pa., (CBS) -- A Montgomery County woman is accused of stealing from the Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts.
Twenty-eight-year-old Heather Lynn Belford is charged with stealing more than $10,000 from her son and daughter's Cub Scout Pack 27 and Girl Scout Troop 7343 in Oaks, Montgomery County.
"There was not only no money left, but the accounts had actually been overdrawn," said Cubmaster Jim Callahan.
In August when Belford was in charge of buying items for her son's pack meetings, instead police say she was using their debit card on makeup and other expensive things for herself making withdrawals of $500 at a time, draining their account of more than $3,000 – money the boys had earned for outings and activities.
'We worked really, really hard for the money," said a cub scout.
"We had no money for any of the programs for the kids and really that was the thing that bothered us the most is it wasn't money that parents had donated, it was money that the kids had actually gone out and earned," said Callahan.
Investigators say this isn't the first time. In the months prior Belford had allegedly taken more than $7,000 from her daughter's Girl Scout troop while she was the troop's leader.
"Instead of a lesson on responsibility or honesty, unfortunately these kids have learned a lesson on distrust," said Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Kevin Steele.
Pack 27 meets at Oaks Elementary every Wednesday. They got some donations from other packs to stay afloat. Now they're trying to raise money so these first through fifth graders can finish the year. But the kids are determined to use the skills they've learned to overcome.
"Never give up," said a cub scout.
Belford is charged with multiple counts including felony theft, theft by deception, receiving stolen property and access device fraud.
The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office says her bail was set at $5,000 unsecured and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for next month.
For more information about Cub Scout Pack 27, visit: https://www.facebook.com/ScoutPack27
