Officials at a Michigan middle school were stunned Monday when they discovered a
12-year-old girl brought $20,000 in cash to school, with the bills stuffed into her backpack.
An unidentified female sixth grader at Sixth Grade Academy in Taylor, Mich., reportedly handed out $200 to one student and $500 to another before administrators realized what was going on. When they questioned the girl, she told them she got the money the night before from her friend who lives across the street. The school principal then called the police.
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Taylor Police Chief Mary Sclabassi was shocked when she heard about the money.
"The school district called us and said a 12-year-old student had a backpack full of money," Sclabassi told DetroitNews.com. "The principal became aware of it when she heard the student was giving money away to friends. They brought in the student, secured the backpack, and retrieved the money she had given away. This is a real first for me."
Police are investigating the student's claims that she received the cash from a friend.
"Another girl about her age had brought it over the day before," Sclabassi told DetroitNews.com. "They were playing with it apparently."
Police will hold the money until the family who says it's theirs can provide a reasonable explanation of where the cash came from and what it's for.
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