A Tale of Two Finders

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

There were two separate stories in the news last week about two individuals who accidentally came across large sums of money - and the way each chose to respond to their unexpected windfalls.  Their stories follow:

The Lottery Winner:

At the end of May of this year an employee of the Tax Collector's office of Trumbull, Connecticut, was headed to the local bank with multiple bags of cash and paperwork from the tax office.  As she arrived at the bank, she inadvertently dropped a bag containing $5,000 in the parking lot and did not notice the loss until she was inside making the deposit.

Meanwhile, another bank customer was exiting the bank and noticed the bag on the ground.   He picked up the bag, looked inside, and headed for the house.  After a nearly three-month investigation into the theft, police this week arrested the fellow who declared his innocence based on the fact that his actions had not been preplanned.   "Everything was in the moment and it was like I had hit the lottery," the 56-year-old man said.  

The big winner went on to say, "I went out into the parking lot, saw something on the ground and there was no one around so I picked it up.  It's not like I stole something."  Then he clarified that with "If I knew I was wrong in the first place, I would have given it right back.  I didn't think I was doing anything wrong."

The bag was clearly labeled as being the property of the bank which the fellow had just exited, and it contained not only cash, but also papers indicating that the money belonged to the city.  The lucky lottery winner claimed that he didn't notice the papers.

He also failed to notify the local police of his good fortune.

After a three-month investigation process, police arrested the fellow who had made off with the money belonging to the city of Trumbull, Connecticut.   The culprit, who apparently told the police that he believed he had no obligation to return the bag to its rightful owner, has been charged with third-degree larceny, a crime punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.    

But through it all, however, the money-grabber is still promoting and defending his good name:  "Anybody who knows me knows that I'm all about generosity.  I'm not looking for trouble." 

The Young Fisherman:

Jim Denney, a Iowa farmer in his mid-seventies, and his wife joined some friends on a fishing expedition to the enormous "Lake of the Woods" in northern Minnesota in July of 2022.  The wind was strong and the waves rough while they were out on the water, and sometime during the day of fishing Jim's wallet slipped from the pocket of his loose-fitting bib-overalls and fell overboard into the lake.  The wallet contained two thousand dollars in cash, and poor Jim did not notice it was missing until they were back on shore and preparing to pay the bills.  Friends had to step in and cover his share of the expense.

A year later in July of 2023, fourteen-year-old Connor Halsa was fishing with his father and his cousin from a boat on the same million-acre lake when he snagged what felt like a big walleye.   As Connor reeled in his catch, his cousin had a net ready to grab the prize.  What he pulled in, however, was no walleye, but was rather a big slimy blob that proved to be a wallet.  As the trio of fishermen examined the wallet, they were shocked to find that it contained a lot of cash, credit cards, and a driver's license.  But none of the ID contained a telephone number.   They did find a business card for a cattle dealer, and through that connection were able to locate Mr. Denney, the wallet's rightful owner.

Denney, of course, could not believe his luck that someone had actually "caught" his wallet while fishing, a wallet that had been at the bottom of the Lake of the Woods for an entire year.  He told the family over the phone that he had already accepted the loss of the money, and he insisted that they keep it, but Connor and his family refused and insisted on returning the $2,000 to Jim Denney.  Denney finally agreed, but told them that he and his wife would be making the eight-hour drive from their home in Iowa to Minnesota where they would be taking the Halsa family out for a very nice meal.  When the couple arrived in Minnesota, they also brought a personalized Yeti cooler for Connor, a gift that, by being personalized, could not be returned, and one which he graciously accepted.

Mr. Denney said that the Halsa's were "quite the family," and added that he and his wife would be staying in touch with them.

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Two finders from two very distinct Americas, one anchored in greed and the other bathed in the light of the Golden Rule.   

Bless those who struggle to keep that light shining!