WACO (December 1, 2009)—Two men were charged after police in the Waco suburb of Beverly Hills discovered that a dozen youngsters ranging in age from 11 to 18 were turned loose on the day after Thanksgiving in the Waco area to sell candy to raise money for what authorities say was a non-existent charity called Teens With Dreams.

The candy con came to light after Beverly Hills Police Officer K. Griffith responded to a report of a lost juvenile in the 3800 block of Memorial Drive.

Griffith located the boy who said he was selling candy, but couldn’t find the silver Ford van that was supposed to pick him up, according to the affidavit submitted for an arrest warrant.

Griffith offered to take him home, but when he asked the boy what town he lived in, the youngster replied, “Dallas,” and then burst into tears when the officer told him he was in Beverly Hills, according to the affidavit.

The officer took the boy to the Beverly Hills Police Department where the youngster told police that he was with 12 others who were selling candy for $10 with the promise they could keep $2 of the sale price.

The other $8, he told officers, went to someone he identified as “Gonzo,” the affidavit said.

Meanwhile, another officer had stopped a silver Ford van for a traffic violation and the two men in the van told him they were with Teens With Dreams and were trying find “the kids,” the affidavit said.

The two men were arrested and officers went to work tracking down the other youngsters, who were found along South Valley Mills Drive.

The men told officers that the youngsters had been told to meet at the Valero station in Beverly Hills, but when the two were asked if the knew where the children were, the said, “No,” the affidavit said.

Miguel Reyes, 33, and Jose Martinez, 19, were each charged with seven counts of endangering a child.