TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A 14-year-old student at a middle school in Florida is reportedly facing a grand theft charge after officials say she stole over $10,000 from her grandparents and handed it out to fellow classmates.
The girl, a student at Lake Weir Middle School in Summerfield, handed out hundreds of dollars — each — to some of her fellow students on Thursday, according to an arrest report.
Deputies with Marion County responded to the school the same day. School officials also found $2,500 in the girl’s backpack.
Investigators said the student claimed she was given the cash from a former student, but they later learned she had stolen around $13,500 from her grandmother’s safe.
The girl now faces a possible grand theft charge, the Associated Press reported.
Administrators with Lake Weir Middle School contacted parents after the incident, advising them to talk with their children about the stolen money.
“We would like to recover this money for the grandparents,” school officials said. “If you speak with your children and if they have received money from the student, please turn it in to our school resource officers.”
Administrators added that kids who return the stolen money will not face any consequences.
By Friday, officials had recovered about $700 of the money that had been handed out. That money and the $2,500 recovered from the girl’s backpack were returned to the grandmother.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.