Fact check: Was an 11 year old put in a police car for selling lemonade in a camouflage suit and charged with "stolen valor"?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the comprehensive analysis of available sources, there is no evidence supporting the claim that an 11-year-old was put in a police car for selling lemonade in a camouflage suit and charged with "stolen valor."

The sources examined reveal several unrelated incidents involving 11-year-olds and law enforcement, but none match the specific scenario described in the question:

• One source discusses siblings whose lemonade stand was robbed, focusing on community support rather than police action against the children ^[1]
• Multiple sources reference an 11-year-old girl who was detained and handcuffed by deputies after being mistaken for a car theft suspect, but this incident involved no lemonade stand, camouflage suit, or stolen valor charges ^{[2] [3]}
• One source mentions an 11-year-old boy being arrested "for supporting veterans" but provides no details about the circumstances or any connection to the claimed scenario ^[4]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The analyses reveal important context about stolen valor laws and enforcement that is absent from the original question:

• The Stolen Valor Act has a complex legal history, with the Supreme Court striking down federal laws that criminalized lying about military awards ^[5]
• Legal discussions around stolen valor typically focus on adults making false claims about military service or decorations, not children wearing camouflage clothing ^{[6] [7]}

The question appears to conflate several distinct issues:

• Child detention by police (which has occurred in documented cases involving mistaken identity)
• Lemonade stand operations (which have faced various regulatory challenges)
• Stolen valor accusations (which are typically reserved for false claims about military service or honors)

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question presents a highly specific and inflammatory scenario that combines emotionally charged elements - a young child, police overreach, military respect, and entrepreneurial spirit - in a way that appears designed to provoke outrage rather than seek factual information.

Key indicators of potential misinformation:

• The extremely specific nature of the claim (exact age, specific clothing, precise charge) without any verifiable source
• The combination of multiple hot-button issues that would generate strong emotional responses
• No credible sources found despite extensive searching across multiple databases and news outlets ^{[1] [8] [2] [4] [3] [9] [10] [5]}

This appears to be either a fabricated story or a significant distortion of separate, unrelated incidents. The question format ("Was an 11 year old...") suggests the asker may have encountered this claim elsewhere, potentially as part of viral misinformation designed to exploit concerns about government overreach and military respect.