A Prescott Valley man was caught on camera with his hand in the cookie jar. Only it wasn't an actual cookie jar -- it was a coffee can collecting donations for the family of 2-year-old Emmett Trapp, the boy found dead last week after going missing from his home two days earlier.
The Prescott Police Department says 38-year-old Valente M. Williams walked into a Circle K convenience store near Prescott East Highway and State Route 69 yesterday and swiped a coffee can containing what was believed to be about $100.
The can had been placed on the counter by the store's manager to collect money for the family of "Little Emmett."
Williams, police say, stuck the coffee can under his shirt when the attendant wasn't paying attention and walked out of the store.
Police were able to identify Williams as the thief because they recognized him in surveillance footage of the theft.
They went to his house, where police pressed Williams on whether he was behind the shameless heist. Williams initially said he had nothing to do with the stealing the money but was arrested around 7 p.m. yesterday.
While in custody, Williams copped to stealing the cash, saying he needed the money to pay an electric bill. He claimed he only got about $25 from the theft, which hasn't been recovered.
Williams was booked into the Yavapai County Jail in Camp Verde for theft.
