Suspect Identified in Girl Scouts $1,000 Cashbox Theft Outside West Lebanon Walmart

A man approached a Girl Scouts cookie-sales table near the entrance of the Walmart on Plainfield Road (Route 12A) in West Lebanon and grabbed a metal cashbox holding roughly $1,000 at about 1:50 p.m. on Feb. 25, 2026, Lebanon Police said. Witnesses reported the man ran toward a wooded area behind the plaza after taking the box; no one was hurt.

Officers deployed a K-9 team and tracked the suspect to the rear parking lot of the New Hampshire State Liquor Store, where surveillance footage later showed him crossing the lot and getting into a white Jeep Grand Cherokee with unknown registration plates. Police recovered the metal cashbox in the woods, but the money was missing, and surveillance images have been released to the public as investigators seek tips.

Lebanon Police said investigators identified the suspect the day after the theft and that he is an out-of-state resident identified as from Vermont. The suspect has not been arrested, no name has been released, and police are working to obtain arrest warrants. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lebanon Police Department.

The cashbox belonged to a Concord-based Girl Scout troop of six high-school-aged girls and three adults who were fundraising for a June trip to Europe, a trip organizers estimated would cost about $30,000. Troop leader and parent Kate Eads Galdieri described preparing to wrap up sales when the man said, "Sorry," then grabbed the box and ran. She said the troop "takes precautions during sales" and added, "We have like a big, chunky cash box, so it's hard to grab, we keep it kinda in the middle of us. Also, who steals from Girl Scouts?"

The $1,000 taken would equal roughly 166 boxes of cookies, though not all the money in the box was necessarily raised that day at that location. The loss represents a setback for the troop's Europe fund, and the group is continuing its fundraising efforts; Walmart later donated $400 to the troop.

Police continue to review surveillance footage and community leads that helped identify the suspect, and investigators say they are pursuing the appropriate arrest warrants. The metal cashbox, recovered empty in nearby woods, remains part of the ongoing investigation as Lebanon Police urge anyone with information to come forward.