Thousands of dollars stolen from Pierce County Boy Scouts troop



LAKEBAY, Wash. -- A Pierce County Boy Scouts troop may not be able to go to camp this year after someone stole thousands of dollars from the troop’s bank account.

Boy Scouts camp is what 13-year-old Alexander Wiklund and his friends look forward to every year. It’s an experience the troop takes so seriously, they’ll spend weeks fundraising.

“Most of the time all I think about is selling popcorn, so I can raise the funds to go to camp,” said Wiklund.

However, all of those efforts may soon be for nothing after Troop 220 leaders realized approximately $10,000 disappeared from the troop’s bank account.

“What came to light was disturbing at best,” said Wiklund’s dad, Spencer, who also serves as the troop’s committee chairman. “Most of that money was earmarked to go to camp, and now it’s not there.”

Troop leaders say they are now working with Pierce County sheriff’s detectives to determine who’s responsible, but they believe it’s someone who had access to the account.

“It’s upsetting that this has happened and that our trust has been violated,” said Spencer Wiklund.

It’s a lesson on trust they didn’t want to teach like this, but one that won’t keep this troop from moving forward.

“We’ll work on rebuilding our troop stronger and better than before,” said Spencer Wiklund.

The troop must raise $8,000 by June 1 to ensure they can all go to camp this summer. They say the Key Center fire station and the neighborhood grocery store are giving them space to hold a car wash, bake sale and rummage sale Saturday.