Kalamazoo County children as young as 8 are stealing candy from stores and reselling it in parking lots, prompting law enforcement to recommend charges for two parents who allegedly assisted in the scheme, the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office said Thursday.
The KCSO is investigating 31 cases involving children and parents in the theft and resale of candy, Undersheriff Michelle Greenlee said during a press conference in Oshtemo Township on Monday.
"We're not trying to do anything creating criminal records for people," Greenlee said. "This is more or less a tool."
Business owners in two Oshtemo Township strip malls notified law enforcement in October 2025 about a spike in thefts, Chief Deputy Logan Bishop said. The children allegedly go inside franchises like Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, Target and Walgreens at the Maple Hill Pavilion center. Then they travel to stores like Harding's Marketplace, Kohl's and Lowe's in the Westmain Shopping Centre to resell the stolen candy.
"While it seems to be minor, a juvenile stealing some candy, what they've seen it lead to and what we believe it's leading to is more serious issues in the parking lot," Bishop said.
Community policing officers could previously have consensual conversations with children observed selling outside stores. But a March 24 ordinance amendment allows officers to remove the kids from the property if they don't have a license.
"The spirit of this ordinance update is to strengthen oversight of solicitors and reduce fraud, while intentionally avoiding the collection of personal information about minors," Oshtemo Township officials said.
The new ordinance takes effect April 2 and requires anyone selling goods or services within the township to first obtain authorization through township offices. The updated ordinance also holds individuals accountable for knowingly helping others sell goods without a permit, not just the sellers themselves.
Sheriff's officials were clear that the change is not meant to affect legitimate fundraising. Activities by recognized organizations, schools and community groups remain permitted under the ordinance.
"We're not trying to funnel children into the criminal justice system and they're not making arrests based on the ordinance change," Bishop said.
Bishop said the KCSO found a correlation between the retail theft and the unauthorized sales. The thefts were primarily carried out by juveniles and young adults, followed by suspected stolen goods being resold at storefront entrances without authorization.
"The thought process behind a stolen, or retail fraud of candy, seems predominantly minor," Bishop said. "But we've seen an increase in this, and there's a correlation between the retail theft, which is illegal, and then the selling of that stolen property outside of businesses, the large congregation of juveniles unattended or unsupervised, then that leads to further complications or further criminal behavior."
Customer complaints regarding aggressive or harassing behavior by the sellers prompted employees at the retailers to notify law enforcement.
"While it seems to be minor, a juvenile stealing some candy, what they've seen it lead to and what we believe it's leading to is more serious issues in the parking lot," Bishop said.
The Sheriff's Office says the candy resale trend isn't unique to Oshtemo Township, and that getting ahead of lower-level offenses like these is part of a broader strategy to prevent more serious crimes, including vehicle break-ins, assaults and harassment.