PORTSMOUTH, N.H., Dec. 3 (UPI) -- A 22-year-old Salvation Army worker in New Hampshire allegedly has stolen nearly $1,000 in donations he collected in his red donation kettle at Wal-Mart.
The alleged actions of Francisco Charlie, whose whereabouts are unknown, on Thursday night in the town of Plaistow were immediately condemned by local Salvation Army head Capt. Josh Lyle, the North Andover (N.H.) Eagle-Tribune reported.
"We only have such a short window to raise money," said Lyle, who runs the organization's office in Derry, N.H. "We fight for the poor, and when people go out and do this, they disarm us from what we're trying to do. He's taking away our ability to help the poor. How much less service can I now give to my communities?"
Lyle also urged that no blame for the incident be placed with the employment firm, Labor Ready, that sent Charlie to the Salvation Army and is currently assisting in the investigation.
"We really try hard to hire people that we help," he told the paper, adding that the lack of holiday volunteers led to the use of such agencies. "It's a very sad situation that happened, but it's a very rare, isolated occurrence."
