Wyoming Girl Gets Big Fine For Selling Cookies
Selling Girl Scout cookies is a right of passage for many young girls across the US. For some, it's their first about showing off their business skills. They sell the cookies to earn badges and advance through the Girl Scout ranks.
Some girls face many roadblocks. Maybe they're in a slow area with few people, trying to sell to a healthy crowd, or the violations presented aren't fair.
That's what happened to 13-year-old Emma from Pinedale, Wyoming. She was selling cookies at her grandparents' house when a code enforcement officer strolled up and handed the young teen a handful of code violations. The officer gave her $400 worth of fines.
According to her mother, Erica McCarroll, the incident happened in March during the height of cookie sales. Her Facebook page offered the details of her daughter's fines.
440-15B Parking Prohibited on Sidewalk $100
The vehicle was NOT parked on the sidewalk; it was parked on private property.
395-4- Unlawful Obstruction- $150.
The Girl Scout cookie table obstructing the road that leads into my parents’ private property. Circumstances matter- The punishment for a crime usually varies based on circumstance. The road turns into a private driveway before the you even get across the sidewalk, there is a locked gate blocking all traffic from going any distance down the road, it’s a road that is not used by the public. Honestly, it’s basically my parent’s private driveway.
395-5-Exception to 395-4- $150
The table was not blocking the sidewalk.
The situation has caused quite an uproar in the small Wyoming town. Reading through the comments on the original post shows people aren't too happy and are looking for answers.
Luckily for Emma, she was able to sell out her cookies for the year, but it's not looking perfect for her next for next year's selling season.