A young boy who was trying to work hard for some extra cash this summer sadly found out just how cruel some people can be.
According to a Facebook post from the Everett Police Department in Washington an 11-year-old boy named Jeremy set up a lemonade stand in the city.
Police said Jeremy used his allowance money to set up the stand, hoping for a return on his investment.
“As he worked in the sun trying to earn a little extra spending money, he was approached by the pictured suspect, who offered him a 100-dollar bill for a drink but asked for exact change,” the department wrote.
As one might imagine, most 11-year-olds running a lemonade stands are not prepared to break a 100-dollar bill, but Jeremy did his best.
He was able to muster up $85 to give to the suspect as change, police said.
“After the suspect left, Jeremy went to the local gas station, where he learned that the 100-dollar bill was fake and was out all his allowance money,” the department wrote.
Using counterfeit money is a despicable crime in and of itself. While some criminals may believe they are somehow “sticking it to the man” by using the fake bills, the truth is that the federal government won’t be hurt at all by this action.
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Instead, the innocent people who are providing the goods and services will have to foot the bill.
Taking advantage of anyone in this way is obviously wrong, but doing so to a child? That is a new low, which is why the Everett Police Department is working hard to catch the suspect.
“While our detectives work hard to bring closure to every case, this case struck a particular chord with them, and they want to do everything they can to get justice for Jeremy and catch this counterfeiter,” the post said.
“We ask our community to either call our tip line, (425) 257-8450, or send us a Facebook message if you recognize this individual.”
In a comment on the post, the department provided a link to a GoFundMe page that had been set up for Jeremy. The description of the fundraiser explained a woman named Amy set it up, and she said she was neighbors with Jeremy and his family.
“Jeremy is 11 years old and quite the entrepreneur,” Amy wrote. “He is a hard working boy between his lemonade stand, which is so much more than just lemonade (If your ever craving cotton candy you know who to see), mowing neighbors yards and shoveling snow in the winter.
“He has dreams of owning his own vending machine business in the future. I’m starting the goal at $250 to help cover his loss and give him some more funds to possibly expand his enterprise.”
With the permission of Jeremy’s parents, Amy’s fundraiser has blown that goal out of the water. As of Sunday, it had raised $9,000 from 432 donors.
As disappointing as the suspect’s actions are, it is nice to see many Americans still have hearts and are willing to donate to this young man.
