Man alerts police after finding big bag of cash

[accadacca]

For many people it would have been a dream come true.

In April, a man found an unattended package on the side of the road in Midvale. Inside was thousands of dollars in cash.
But rather than pocketing the money, he turned it over to police.

"I think what's important here is this person did the right thing by calling police and giving us an opportunity to give the money back to the rightful owner, because it is a signficant amount of money," said Unified Police Lt. Justin Hoyal.

Since turning it in, however, no one has called to report that they were missing a large amount of cash.

Because of that, police were releasing very few details Monday about the kind of package the money was found in, exactly how much cash was inside and on what street it was found. Anyone who thinks the money might be theirs can call 801-743-5818. Hoyal said people who attempt to claim the money will be asked very specific questions about the cash in order to verify it belongs to them.

If no one claims it after a certain amount of time, Hoyal said it's possible the good Samaritan could keep the money.

If the cash is suspected to be drug money or money used in the commission of a crime, detectives would still have to prove it before declining to give it back to the owner.

"We'd have to be able to prove it was evidence in a crime to be able to seize it. Just like a typical narcotics seizure, we have to prove that is evidence of narcotics trafficking," he said.

Source: http://www.ksl.com/?sid=26595869&nid...cid=featured-2

[Byron]

If you haven't seen it, "No Country For Old Men" is an outstanding movie.

Personally, I gleefully keep every coin or bill that I find...coins all the time, the bills are a bit rare but I find them mostly on the ground in supermarket parking lots during the winter. I think that people stuff money into bulky jacket pockets and it falls out when they're getting the keys, etc...

Also, always look at the floor right in front of the register when you order something at Starbucks...I've scored a couple twenties that way.

A big bag packed with cash? Finders keepers, losers weepers!

The only money I would return...and I really mean this...if it has some type of I.D. in it, like a wallet. I would feel guilty and shamed if I kept the money of someone I could easily contact.

[Rob L]

In the UK, we have a "finders keepers" rule. You report it to the authorities, and if no-one claims in I think 30 days, it's yours to keep.

This might not apply to what is obviously money from a bank heist (in which case you get a reward), or in the case of drug money (read: millions), but the principle is enshrined somewhere in Common Law, called Treasure Trove.

So if you find

[Byron]

Finding 100M of Roman gold is unlikely in the USA, of course.

Well...perhaps 100M in Viking gold? Or Spanish Conquistador gold? Or maybe Pirate gold? One can always hope, eh?

I have noticed that every once in a while someone over there stumbles upon a horde...it seems like a fun hobby.