A THRIFT store manager was left stunned when he stumbled across $85,000 stashed away in a bag of clothes that had been donated.
Jeffrey Stonehouse found the money, dated back to the 1980s, in envelopes.
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In 2021, he and his co-workers came across the envelopes when rummaging through the items donated to the Vancouver Value Village store, per The Times Colonist.
The envelopes were stacked in the bag.
He initially thought the envelopes were filled with receipts, as opposed to thousands of dollars, per Daily Hive.
Stonehouse admitted he and his co-worker were confused at what they found.
The money was counted and reported to cops in line with the Value Village store policy.
But Stonehouse was astounded that he had come across such a large amount.
“Typically it’s pocket change,” he told Daily Hive.
“This was certainly the largest sum of money I have ever come across,” he told CBC.
He wondered if the money, from 1988, was real or fake after coming across it.
It emerged that the money was accidentally donated to the thrift store.
Cops tracked down the original owner thanks to the receipts.
It turned out that the owner had moved into a care home.
Stonehouse said it felt nice that the money was returned to the owner.
“I don’t know if they were missing it [the cash] but I’m sure they were pretty glad when they got it,” he told the Times Colonist.
S tonehouse is not the only thrift store worker who has come across large bundles of cash.
Almost $100,000 in cash was found by workers at a Goodwill Industries store in Zanesville, Ohio, in 2017.
Rules on finding money
The saying “finders, keepers
While state and local laws may differ slightly, the majority will require you to attempt to find the owner of the money.
If you fail to make reasonable efforts to track down the owner, many states can charge you with theft or larceny of lost property.
The penalty will most likely be based on the value of the lost property as larger finds that are kept without making reasonable efforts to find the owner may be classed as a felony rather than a misdemeanor.
The term reasonable efforts includes asking people nearby if they dropped any cash, checking the envelope or wallet (if there is one) for an ID, handing it into a nearby store, or contacting the police on a non-emergency line.
Some laws will authorize the police to return the money to the finder if no one has claimed it after a period of time.
Always check your local and state laws which will most likely outline what to do if you find property or cash.
It is also advised that you contact the police or a criminal defense lawyer who can assist in what the laws state and how you should proceed.
Source: Criminal Defense Lawyer
The money was found in a box of clothes.
Barb Claypool, a worker at the store, initially thought the cash was play money, per The Zanesville Times Recorder.
Fellow Goodwill staffer Betsy Lyons also believed the money wasn’t real at first.
The money was eventually reunited with the woman who had donated the clothes.
Goodwill worker Andrea Lessing was stunned after finding $42,000 in dollar bills among a bundle of donated sweaters.
And Savers employee Loralie Hovey found $10,000 stored inside a purse.
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