Troop leader accused of stealing nearly $20K in Girl Scout funds

DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – A former Dorchester County Girl Scouts Troop Leader is accused of stealing nearly $20,000 in Girl Scout funds from her Summerville troop.

Melissa Lynn Arrwood is charged with breach of trust with fraudulent intent valued at $10,000 or more.

According to the arrest warrant, Arrwood was given $119,194 in Girl Scout merchandise to sell for the season in January. At the end of the season, Arrwood was supposed to turn in $93,994.05; however, she only submitted $74,199.28.

That left $19,794.77 unaccounted for.

Arrwood called the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office to report missing funds from two separate occasions. She claimed to make a deposit on Feb. 8 that was around $5,000 short. Then, she said she made another deposit on Apr. 11 that was around $31,000 short.

According to the incident report, Arrwood initially told deputies that $37,757 was missing from booth sales. She also told authorities that she notified the Girl Scouts of America Committee and the parents of the Troop 159 girls that funds were missing.

Arrwood was arrested for the missing money on July 5.