Man swindles $1,200 in Girl Scout cookies, claims he found them “dumpster diving”

Chances are if the Girl Scouts don’t sell out of their delicious cookies… they won’t throw them out.  So when a man busted for driving around with over a thousand dollars worth of cookies in his car claimed he found them while “dumpster diving” — the officer was not convinced.

WHP-TV reports that police were summoned to a Rochester, Minnesota grocery store because of a store alarm on Monday and arrived just as Joel Whittaker was peeling out of the parking lot.  Officers noted that the suspect had an abundance of Girl Scout cookie boxes in his trunk and backseat — so they pulled him over.

Whittaker told the authorities that he came upon the cookies by purely legal means — by “dumpster diving.”  He claims the treats were stored in an unlocked loading-dock.

Of course, police didn’t buy it and a search of his car yielded a lot more than stolen cookies.  The officers also uncovered a used meth pipe, heroin, bolt cutters and two stolen license plates.

Whittaker was arrested and faces felony burglary and theft charges.  He was released, but with a laundry list of conditions — which include random drug testing and no alcohol.

No word if he was also barred from eating Girl Scout cookies or if the troop got their stolen product back since they are now out $1,200k.