Police down in Florida claim they’ve arrested a real-life “Grinch” for allegedly stealing a box of donated toys.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of Cecilia Josephine Milano, 64, on Thursday, December 18.
Cops claim that Milano is the person who allegedly swiped an entire box of toy donations on Friday, December 12, from a restaurant in Jensen Beach, located just southeast of West Palm Beach.
The restaurant, the Barbecue Beer Co., was collecting the toys for a local organization called Elev8Hope, which assists a needy area family during the holidays.
Milano, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement, was captured on security video dragging the large cardboard box teeming with toys out the door.
When confronted by one of the restaurant’s patrons, Milano allegedly can be heard in the footage claiming that she would be taking the box to a donation center.
However, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said that Milano was never asked to take the toys. She was arrested after being identified from tips after authorities shared the security footage.
Paul Kemp, a chef at Barbecue Beer Co., told ABC12 the place was so busy, none of the workers noticed the theft occurring.
They checked the security footage, and “sure enough, we found the Grinch herself pulling the box out of the front door and we were flabbergasted,” said Kemp. “It was almost surreal.”
Kemp said that “we’re really happy that we found her and justice has been served, but we’re also really happy that we’re able to raise awareness for Elev8Hope,” said Kemp. “We turned the negative into the positive, which was really great.”
“She was dragging it out the door, after she had handed someone a toy from the box, and to think it was from her and got a hug from the child,” said Christine DiCondina, the house manager, speaking to local station WPBF.
DiCondina said the box was sitting close to the front door.
“She told people it was from the United Way, it was not,” DiCondina said. “We just need[ed] to find her because she’s the Grinch who stole Christmas.”
The restaurant will collect donations until Monday, December 22.
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It was unclear if the toys had actually been recovered by police.
In response to the theft, the restaurant’s patrons, including Kitti Parker, went out and returned with even more toys. “Because it’s Christmas and those toys were going to kids, and that’s what Christmas is all about,” Parker told the station.
Milano was formally charged with one count of simple theft, and Us Weekly was unable to determine if she had appeared before a judge to enter a plea to the charge.
Her bail has been set at $2,500. Information on her lawyer was not available at press time.
At the time of her arrest, Milano was wearing a shirt emblazoned with the word “Queen.”
“Martin County Deputies clinched the Grinch and charged her with theft,” the statement explained.
A photo of Milano’s arrest has been making the rounds on social media.
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