A Virginia man has been arrested and charged after he stole money from a lemonade stand run by two young siblings.
The Chesapeake Police Department announced that they had detained 19-year-old Esteban Santillan, who has been charged with petit larceny. The young man left a bad taste in the mouths of those reading about how he simply walked up to a lemonade stand run by kids in a viral incident that occurred earlier this month.
The arrest and charges came after a brief investigation, which led law enforcement to track down and detain the suspected thief.
On August 14, Santillan approached the stand operated by Rebecca and Josh Caldwell, a brother and sister who are 10 and 8 years old, respectively. He reportedly walked right up to the table and took their money jar, which had about $40 in it. The stand was being run outside the siblings’ home in Chesapeake.
Santillan then made off with the money in a Toyota sedan. The Hampton Roads community was furious after video footage from a surveillance camera showed the crime occurring. 10 days later, however, the community turned their frustration into positive encouragement for the young entrepreneurs.
The two siblings lost $40 but earned $6,200 from local supporters. On Saturday August 24, just 10 days after the theft, the lemonade stand was thoroughly busy. Of the profits that they’ve made from generous neighbors, the two kids are hoping to donate some to a mission trip their sister is going on as well as buy Rebecca a four-wheeler and Josh a dirt bike.
Social media accounts for Santillan reveal that he went to a Connecticut high school but currently lives and studies in Chesapeake, where he attends Tidewater Community College. His current address is just two miles from the neighborhood where he stole the lemonade stand money.
Annetta Caldwell, the mother of the children, said that she is “super relieved” to have heard of the arrest. She added that, if Santillan is proven to be the one who stole the money, she hopes to “meet” and “talk to him.” The mother explained that she is “not angry” but simply would like to hear his story and learn “why he did what he did.”
