What would you do if you found $18,000 in a ditch?

[SomeGuy]

Guess the kid is out of luck and the kops are 18k richer.


Star Tribune

A generous 16-year-old stumbled upon abandoned drug money along a bike trail and was giving away hundred-dollar bills when a sheriff's deputy caught up with him.

It's believed to have been $18,000 in drug loot that a 16-year-old found along a bicycle trail in Farmington this week, and then took home -- for the night, at least.

"By morning, he shared his fortune with everybody," or so it seemed, said Dawana Witt, a Dakota County sheriff's deputy who cracked the case.

The teen gave away fistfuls of hundred-dollar bills, which soon showed up in four south metro schools Tuesday.

By day's end, Witt and three fellow school resource officers had snapped up about $11,000 the boy gave away. Investigators ended up recovering $18,000 -- nearly all the cash the boy found and either kept or gave away, Witt said.

The case began with the teen's discovery as he pedaled his bike near Pilot Knob Road and 195th Street after school Monday.

Investigators suspect that not long before that, a marijuana dealer who feared he was being tailed had tossed the loot out a car window -- along with several pounds of high-grade marijuana and scales, said Chief Deputy Dave Bellows of the Sheriff's Office.

"We're confident that both the money and marijuana wound up in the ditch at the same time," Bellows said.

It's understandable why the boy missed the pot, he said.

"It's a weedy area. This kid goes down, opens up the bag and sees a large quantity of cash," Bellows said. "I don't think he's looking for anything else."

On Tuesday morning, Witt fielded a call from a supervisor of Marschall Line Inc., a Farmington bus company serving the alternative school that the boy attends, Alliance Education Center in Rosemount. Students attend that school part time while also enrolled at other high schools or Dakota County Technical College.

A bus aide reported that the teen had asked her early Tuesday whether she could accept gifts. She told him no, but after he exited the bus, she found $1,200 in her bag, Witt said. The aide told Witt that the teen apparently also gave cash to a classmate on the bus.

Witt interviewed the aide, and then the teen with the loot. He first said the cash was from his allowance before telling the truth. Witt asked him why he gave cash to the bus aide.

"She has a kid and she needs the money," the teen replied.

He led skeptical Dakota County authorities to the ditch where he found the money, and there, they spotted 4 pounds of marijuana and the scales.

Witt and Bellows said they expect no charges against the teen for not turning in the cash, though state law requires anyone who finds anything of value to make reasonable attempts to return it to its owner.

"This kid, he has a good heart, he really does," Witt said. "He just made a bad decision. I don't think he had any bad intentions."

Finding thousands of dollars presented an exciting, though misguided, opportunity for a kid who likes to give, she said.

"All I've got to say," said Witt, "is that he was very happy for about 24 hours."

 

[Strainbrain]

Good thing they stopped the little bastard from that generous giving-spree. Imagine, he nearly got a whole bunch of people helped!

Crisis averted... thanks LEO!

Sheesh.


-s

 

[Peanut Butter]

wtf....from the sounds of it, the kid was doing more good with the money than LEO or whoerver ends up with it in their pockets ever will.

 

[swampdank]

They would have never found it, had it been me. I would have taken out enough money to buy a shovel....end of story.

 

[ROJO145]

They would have never found it, had it been me. I would have taken out enough money to buy a shovel....end of story.

No Doubt,Me Too!!!
But.......the kid was taking the short bus to boces for a reason,and I dont think it was for a trade!!

 

[bterzz]

wow nice kid...

 

[JamieShoes]

the only bad decision that kid made was not just taking it home and shoving it under his bed whilst keeping his mouth firmly shut...and fancy missing 2k...DOH! :wink:

 

[marx2k]

I would keep the shit out of that shit.

 

[JamieShoes]

shitting right mate :wink:

 

[Lifebreather]

Hmmm...I bet the cops are having fun spending that 'drug money' that they just stole from that kid. I bet they just grabbed a couple pounds from an evidence locker and made up some story so that they could spread the money amongst themselves.

Here in Oregon, the police recently attacked the Medical Marijuana Program and showed pictures of a grower with a decent stack of cash. I was wondering what was so bad about that?? I WANT to see people with big stacks of cash. It means they aren't poor and won't have a hard time eating. Why do people with cash scare the police?

 

[KUSHEATER1]

I would like to know this aswell

 

[mpd]

It's fucking karma... YOu spend the money and smoke the weed. What can you say? Could be anyone's but who is to say it wasn't all left there just for you by a benevolent god you haven't met, but would like to thank for the favor.

One thing is for sure, when you turn it in the cops get a cash bonus that day and laugh down their shirtsleeves at you.

 

[Stoner4Life]

no good deed goes unpunished.......

& I say that found money belongs to the finder if the
loser never lays claim to it, which seems unlikely here.

 

[KMK0420]

i would've took it all, and found the weed too

its not stealing. when someone discards money or drugs, its discarded. either for mother nature to consume in one way, or another man's fortune.

i'd pay off my school loan and my car. lol

 

[mpd]

Oh, so now we rationalize it. What good would I do with this money?

Lemme' tell you a little secret. Anything I do with money is going to be good for somebody, so it might as well be me...

Remodel the garage.

 

[I N Hail]

Guess he didn't tell his parents who should have told him about

FINDERS KEEPERS,LOSERS WHEEPERS,,lol

 

[CaptainTrips]

I sure would not give that money to the state pigs... The owner is unlikely to ever get that money back, so finders keepers... lol

 

[kmk420kali]

The kid needs a Lawyer!! That is found money, if nobody claims it, the finder gets to keep it--
They cannot prove it was drug money...even though it was with it, it wasn't in the same package-- A decent Lawyer can manipulate the Law for this...and I'm willing to bet most Judges would go with it too--

 

[#1cheesebuds]

i also would've taken it all, and found the weed too

its not stealing. when someone discards money or drugs, its discarded. either for mother nature to consume in one way, or another man's fortune.

 

[FirstTracks]

...Why do people with cash scare the police?

because they can afford lawyers...