Boy Pretending To Be Golfer Scams South Hill Neighbors

Wed., March 18, 1998

From Staff Reports

A well-dressed youth rang doorbells on the South Hill, asking for money to travel to a high school golf tournament next weekend in Yakima, school officials said.

The youth collected a wad of cash Monday and Tuesday before residents discovered the truth: It’s a scam.

The teenage boy doesn’t golf for Lewis and Clark High School, as he claimed. “We don’t even go to Yakima,” LC coach Bob Lobdell said.

Officials alerted police and helped one victim scan yearbooks in an attempt to identify the youth.

It’s unclear how much was taken, although Lobdell said several people donated between $10 and $25. The youth targeted the 1800-2000 blocks of East 33rd, 34th and 35th, school officials said.

The thief - described as a tall, slim, handsome boy with a blond crewcut and nice clothes - gave a convincing pitch, victims told Lobdell.

But a companion, a youth in “grungy” clothes, alarmed some residents.

The school doesn’t raise money door to door, Lobdell said.

Lobdell, LC’s golf coach for 25 years, said no team members were involved, but the incident embarrassed the team. “This puts a tarnish on the program,” he said. , DataTimes

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