A 40-year-old Oregon has been arrested for allegedly staging an elaborate home invasion to cover up the theft of his daughter’s Girl Scout cookie sales.
On March 6 the Forest Grove Police Department responded to a 911 call for a possible break-and-enter and assault. When officers arrived at the scene of the alleged crime, they found 40-year-old Brian Couture, the person who had made the emergency call, unresponsive. The man later told police that an unknown individual had entered his home through a sliding glass door, and despite his attempts to restrain him, the burglar managed to escape. A special K9 unit was dispatched in the neighborhood to search for the suspect, which reportedly caused panic among residents.
Photo: carol/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)
“There were cops from all over, dogs, the forensic team, they had crime scene tape up everywhere,” one local woman told KGW8. “We put sticks in all of our doors and I started setting the alarm during the day because I was afraid to be home by myself during the day.”
Police failed to find the alleged burglar, and also noted several inconsistencies in Couture’s recollection of events during their investigation. After confronting him, the home owner, who had to be hospitalized for undisclosed injuries, admitted to staging the home invasion.
“Couture admitted to Forest Grove Police investigators that the alleged incident was staged,” Forest Grove Police said in a statement. “Investigators believe that Couture staged the incident in order to conceal the theft of money belonging to a non-profit organization, that was spent inappropriately.”
Police say Brian Couture called 911 earlier this month, saying he fought a robber who broke into his home. Turns out, he made the whole thing up. https://t.co/mzy8ydns1j
— ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) April 1, 2019
While police didn’t disclose the name of the non-profit, KGW8 reports that the organization in question is the Girl Scouts of America. A spokesperson for the organization confirmed that Brian Couture is the father of one of their Girl Scouts and that approximately $740 of her cookie sales were unaccounted for.
“Since the March 18 arrest in this case, we have been in contact with the Forest Grove Police Department and are working with them to resolve the matter,” the Girl Scouts spokesperson said in a statement. “At this time, Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington is following our normal procedure to collect on funds owed. The stewardship of Girl Scout troop funds is a top priority for our organization, and that is our focus in this matter.”
Brian Couture was arrested for making a fake emergency call and staging the alleged theft. Despite his reported admission, the man pleaded not guilty to the charges, during a hearing on Friday.
