A 14-year-old Florida girl is facing a felony grand theft charge after officials say she stole thousands of dollars from her grandmother and handed it out to her classmates.
Marion County Sheriff's deputies responded to Lake Weir Middle School in Summerfield on Thursday on a report that a student was giving classmates hundreds of dollars each, according to an arrest report obtained by the Associated Press.
School officials also found $2,500 in the girl's backpack.
The teen initially told police that another student gave her the cash and wanted her to pass it out. Investigators later determined that the girl actually broke into her grandmother's home safe and took about $13,500 of the woman's life savings, the AP reported.
The girl told police she used a screwdriver and metal pick to break into the safe and took a stack of $20 bills that was about six inches thick, NBC News reported.
The grandmother mentioned that money was half of her life savings, left over after she sold her house, WSVN reported.
Police haven't determined why the girl took the money or why she was giving it away to classmates.
The girl was arrested Friday morning and given a $2,000 bond, according to WOFL.
Authorities are now trying to recover the stolen cash. The school left a voicemail with parents, asking them to talk to their kids about the situation. Students who return the money will not face any consequences.
About $700 that had been handed out to other students has been returned, according to the AP. That along with the $2,500 recovered from the girl's backpack have since been returned to her grandmother.
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