Juveniles Steal from Strip Malls Then Resell Across Street, Parents Helped Two Charged

*KALAMAZOO COUNTY, Mich.* — The Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office is investigating 31 cases involving children and parents in a candy theft and resale scheme after a new ordinance took effect April 2, 2026.

Business owners at two Oshtemo Township strip malls first notified law enforcement of a rise in thefts in October 2025. Community Policing Deputies quickly identified the pattern: children would steal candy from stores at one shopping center then cross West Main Street to resell it at competing stores across the road.

"The thought process behind a stolen, or retail fraud of candy, seems predominantly minor," said Chief Deputy Logan Bishop with the sheriff's office. "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."

Strip Mall Scheme Targets Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, Target and Walgreens

The children allegedly target franchises at the Maple Hill Pavilion shopping center at 5022 W. Main St. They then travel to stores at the Westmain Shopping Centre at 5125 W. Main St. to resell the stolen candy.

"The children allegedly go inside franchises like Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, Target and Walgreens at the Maple Hill Pavilion," said Bishop. "Then, they travel to stores like Harding's Marketplace, Kohl's and Lowe's in the Westmain Shopping Centre to resell the candy."

Undersheriff Michelle Greenlee said children as young as 8 have participated in the stealing and reselling. Customer complaints regarding aggressive or harassing behavior by the sellers prompted employees at retailers to notify law enforcement.

Muhammad Alfaraj, who owns House of Champions Gym in the area, said he has seen the young people firsthand.

"You have kids walking around, early in the day, late at night. Bothering people if you're going to buy candy. That sort of thing. And they keep coming to you. It's not a one-time thing," Alfaraj said.

New Ordinance Requires Street Sellers to Obtain Township License

On March 24, the Oshtemo Township Board of Trustees unanimously passed an ordinance requiring street sellers to obtain a license from the township. The amendment to the Hawkers, Peddlers and Solicitors Ordinance took effect April 2.

The ordinance previously mainly applied to door-to-door sales in residential neighborhoods. The change now includes business areas.

Community policing officers could previously have "consensual conversations" with children they observed selling outside stores. The new ordinance 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," said Oshtemo Township officials. "We are coordinating with the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office in response to complaints about juveniles aggressively selling candy outside local businesses."

Two Parents Charged with Assisting in Theft, Children Not Yet Formally Charged

Two parents have already been charged with assisting in the theft of retail products. The prosecutor's office is currently reviewing charges of organized retail fraud involving the children.

"I have not heard about that specific instance. Although I have not read all the reports. It does not surprise me. I know we've had incidents where adults have been in cooperation with the juveniles," said Captain Logan Bishop of the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office.

Bishop said the intention isn't to funnel children into the criminal justice system and they're not making arrests based on the ordinance change. Violating the ordinance is a low-level civil infraction.

"We're not trying to do anything creating criminal records for people," Bishop said. "This is more or less a tool."

Sheriff Sees Connection to More Serious Crimes

The Sheriff's Office says the candy resale trend isn't unique to Oshtemo Township, and that getting ahead of lower-level offenses is part of a broader strategy to prevent more serious crimes.

"We believe it's leading to more serious issues in the parking lot," Bishop said.

The Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office is working alongside Oshtemo Township officials and legal counsel on the enforcement. The updated ordinance holds individuals accountable for knowingly helping others sell goods without a permit, not just the sellers themselves.

Sources:

  • WZZM-13: https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/local/kalamazoo-county-sheriffs-office-targets-candy-theft-in-crackdown-unauthorized-sales/69-ee62f1ff-9ece-4b7a-aad6-2cb9348f138d
  • MLive: https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2026/04/3-takeaways-from-a-candy-theft-crackdown-near-kalamazoo.html
  • FOX 17 Online: https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/kzoo-bc/kalamazoo/kids-stealing-then-selling-candy-prompts-ordinance-change-intervention-from-the-kalamazoo-county-sheriffs-office