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A 14-year-old girl from Florida is facing felony charges of grand theft after she allegedly stole a portion of her grandparents' life savings. The Marion County Sheriff's Office said the girl broke into a safe and stole the cash, which she then handed out to her classmates at Lake Weir Middle School in Summerfield, Florida.
Michelle Spaulding, who has a child at the school, told WRBW she received a voicemail from the school's principal asking parents to ask their children if they received money from the girl.
Spaulding said that her daughter declined to take the cash.
"That's when she was like, 'Yeah, mom! The child did come up to me and ask me if I wanted $100,'" said Spaulding. "And she said, 'No, it's got to be stolen. I don't want nothing to do with it.'"
School officials asked students to return the money and said they would not get in trouble for taking it.
Authorities said that the girl told investigators that she received the money from a friend who had moved away and asked her to hand out the cash. Other students told police the girl admitted the money was from her grandmother but claimed she had permission to give it away.
So far, one student returned $200, while another student handed in $500 they received from the girl.