Video: Suspect steals animal rescue donation box from Peoria yogurt shop

PEORIA, Ariz. - Caught on camera: a despicable crime. A woman was seen on surveillance video stealing a donation box from the Yummee Yogurt shop near Loop 101 and 83rd Avenue.

The donations were supposed to go to Halo Animal Rescue, but it appears she decided to pocket the money instead.

When it comes to the holiday season, we know thefts happen, but at the P83 shopping center, it's a bit different. Cool, calm and calculated and the owner of the yogurt shop says this one was uncalled for.

"At first I didn't believe her, I thought it was a joke," said Jason Berglund.

He stepped out of the shop last Thursday in order to attend to some business. Only open for the last six months, he was hoping to help the community with the Halo Animal Rescue donation box this holiday season.

"Two people came in and walked in casual and grabbed the box off the counter and left," said Berglund.

Surveillance video shows an accomplice holding the door for a woman who walked in right in the middle of the afternoon, strolled towards the self serve yogurt machines and then drifted towards the cash register.

"It looks like they have probably been here before because they knew right where it was and what was in it," said Berglund. "I'm just hoping that they didn't do it to anybody else."

Instead of taking from the register, the woman went for the donation box stuffed with more than $83 inside and calmly walked out of the shop.

"Looks like they've done it before because it was pretty darn casual the way they handled themselves," said Berglund.

Keep in mind the brazen act of robbery took place with seven different video cameras right on her.

"Everything nowadays I believe is pretty much on video, so they had to have known there was going to be video of them, but they didn't seem to care," said Berglund.

Berglund knows there may not be anything he can do, but he hopes no other charity has $83 ripped off from them for the holidays.

"This time of year, it is for the animals.. try to get involved in the community and something like that happens. It just upsets you," he said.

The Halo donation box has been replaced with a bucket, hoping to collect the $83 that was lost last week.

We talked to folks at Osaka P83 sushi bar and they say they haven't experienced any problems, but they're going to check other businesses to see if they have run into anything.

The suspects left in a white sedan and Berglund is hoping to talk to Peoria Police to give them more information in the coming days ahead.