Thieves Target Spare Change Donation Jars In Weld County
By Jeff Todd
WELD COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4)- Two different robbery suspects have targeted spare change donation jars at convenience stores in Weld County.
At a 7-Eleven between Windsor and Loveland, Brinda Atencio has been telling almost every customer about the audacious crime.
"Do you remember that jar we had here, to feed the hunger? We had somebody come in and steal it Monday morning," Atencio told a group of customers.
The Weld County Sheriff's Office thinks there are three other similar robberies by two men. They've all happened between midnight and 6 a.m. Usually the suspects ask for a pack of cigarettes and when the clerks turn their back the men take the loot.
At a Conoco convenience store in Mead, a jar meant for Nepal Earthquake assistance was stolen. Two Kum & Go locations have had their entire change dispensers taken.
"It's not worth it, it's not worth it at all," Atencio said. "There was dollar bills in there as well, I'd say $50 to $75."
In total detectives believe about $200 has been taken.
The suspects have fled in a four-door sedan, possibly an early 2000s Ford Taurus or Mercury Sable.
Anyone with information regarding this or any other crime is asked to call the Weld County Sheriff's Office at 970-356-4015 or Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or 1-800-444-3776.
Jeff Todd joined the CBS4 team in 2011 covering the Western Slope in the Mountain Newsroom. Since 2015 he's been working across the Front Range in the Denver Headquarters. Follow him on Twitter @CBS4Jeff.
