OSHTEMO TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Business leaders in Oshtemo Township told their community resource officer, a Kalamazoo County sheriff's deputy, about an issue involving children stealing candy and then selling it in shopping plaza parking lots.
The Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office says they've received 30 reports about the issue and recommended charges for two adults involved with the children for the candy theft turned sale.
Children as young as 8 years old are doing the selling, according to the sheriff's office.
Muhammad Alfaraj owns House of Champions Gym in the impacted area off West Main Street. He has seen the young people firsthand.
"You have kids walking around, early in the day, late at night. Bothering people if you’re going to buy candy. That sort of thing. And they keep coming to you. It’s not a one-time thing," Alfaraj said.
"One time there was one dude that was with them, between 18 and 20. He carried a huge gun with them. If you’re selling candy, why are you doing this?" Alfaraj said.
After I spoke with Alfaraj, I asked the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office about reports of anyone brandishing a weapon as part of the issue.
"I have not heard about that specific instance. Although I have not read all of the reports. It does not surprise me. I know we’ve had incidents where adults have been in cooperation with the juveniles," Captain Logan Bishop of the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office said.
"While it seems to be minor, a juvenile, stealing some candy, what they’ve seen it lead to and what we believe it’s leading to is more serious issues in the parking lot," Bishop said.
The sheriff's office said the goal is to reduce this behavior under a new ordinance adopted by Oshtemo Township that requires sales for fundraisers to have proper permitting.
Oshtemo Township gave me a statement regarding the ordinance change that allows for more strict rules when it comes to selling goods outside of businesses:
“The spirit of this ordinance update is to strengthen oversight of solicitors and reduce fraud, while intentionally avoiding the collection of personal information about minors. We are coordinating with the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office in response to complaints about juveniles aggressively selling candy outside local businesses. The ordinance now gives law enforcement the tools to address this situation and hold parents accountable when minors are involved, all with the goal of reducing fraud and theft in our community.”
The new ordinance will not likely impact events like Girl Scout cookie sales.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this
platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
