It’s that time of year again, when groups of youngsters camp out in front of retailers and the occasional medical marijuana dispensary to sell Girl Scout cookies. Most of us look at their displays and see delicious but pricey temptation. Some terrible people see a box full of money guarded by a few little girls.

Yes, Girl Scout cookie robbers have allegedly struck again, this time in San Jose, California. Last year, this happened near Boston, and a Scout in Florida had her mobile phone stolen while selling cookies. The year before that, someone stole the cookies themselves.

Police say that the 23-year-old man “forcibly” took the cash box from the girls. A 10-year-old spotted him and kept her hand on the box, which contained $300. “He’s looking around, and I started to keep my hand on the box, and he goes for it,” she told local TV station NBC Bay Area. (warning: auto-play video) She let the man run off with the box, and her mother was sure to memorize the man’s license plate.

In an interview with NBC Bay Area (warning: auto-play video) the man arrested for the crime said that he was sorry, and that his own sister had been a Girl Scout when she was younger. He says that he was in withdrawal from heroin, which he has been using for a few years, and was desperate for cash to buy some. “Normally, I would never try this,” he told the TV station from jail, but he was desperate at the time.

Police officers caught up with the man in that car, finding the cash on him. Police dogs recovered the box itself from a creek. The man plans to plead guilty to the cookie money theft and seek help for his addiction.

Meanwhile, police officers bought all of the scared girls’ remaining cookies, $240 worth. They also made a $60 donation to the girls’ planned conservation project.

“I Didn’t Know People Would Do Such a Thing”: Girl Scout on Thief Who Stole $600 Cash Box [NBC Bay Area]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.