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Finder no keeper, he turns tears to cheers
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - February 15, 2012)
Finder no keeper, he turns tears to cheers
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
It was something Thompson Township resident John Lenk had done countless times. But it turned out to mean the world to a woman in Chardon Township.
Mr. Lenk's wife, Judy, said Tuesday her husband has a habit of picking up any type of litter he finds, so he can properly dispose of it. "He's the type of guy who, if he finds a ballpoint pen or anything, he picks it up," she said.
So when Mr. Lenk finished his shopping trip Monday at the Dollar Store in Chardon Township, he naturally picked up a zippered plastic pouch he found lying in the parking lot and tossed it into the cab of his pickup truck, she said. "He didn't even look at it."
Just before Mr. Lenk reached Chardon Square, he happened to flip the pouch over, Mrs. Lenk said. Through the clear plastic, he could see that the pouch contained a wad of cash, she said.
Mrs. Lenk said her husband returned home and knew exactly what he had to do. They called the Dollar Store to report the find. Store officials asked them to call the Geauga County Sheriff's Department.
"It's just what you're supposed to do," Mrs. Lenk said. "It wasn't anything great. It's what we would hope people would do if they found money that didn't belong to them."
That money, $331.26, turned out to belong to Dorothy Cook, of Chardon Township. It was her pension, all the money she would have for the month.
Her daughter-in-law, Jeanie Smith, said Tuesday that she and Mrs. Cook had set out Monday for what was a typical shopping day to pick up a few small items. Normally, she said, Mrs. Cook does not carry her entire pension with her, but that day she did.
Mrs. Smith said she normally checks to make sure that Mrs. Cook puts her money back in her wallet, but the store was packed, and she was distracted and didn't check this time. They just loaded up the car and took off, she said.
They then headed up to a grocery store in Concord Township. When Mrs. Cook came out of the store, Mrs. Smith said, she was in tears. "I asked her what was wrong, and she said she lost her money. I asked her how much, and she said her whole pension check," she said.
It was all the money Mrs. Cook would have to get through the month, she said, and there was nothing in the pouch to indicate who the money belonged to.
Mrs. Smith said her immediate thought was the money was gone. "I thought it would be impossible to find," she said. "If somebody found it, it's gone. Most people nowadays would just stick it in their pocket and walk away. Times are tight for people, and, if somebody's in need, they don't think how it affects other people."
The two headed back to the Dollar Store and were told they should contact the sheriff's department. Mrs. Smith said even her husband told her not to waste her time, that the money would never be found. "But I thought any hope is better than no hope," she said.
Mrs. Smith arrived at the sheriff's office around 5 p.m. and explained the situation to records clerk Mary Kerchelich. It just so happened that minutes before the department had taken the call from the Lenks and dispatched Deputy Randy Primer to pick the money up.
Lt. John Hiscox, of the sheriff's department, said it didn't take long for the officers to put two and two together.
Mrs. Lenk said she and her husband had not even taken the money out of the pouch until after they called the sheriff's department. Then they counted it and waited for Mr. Primer to arrive.
By Tuesday morning, Mrs. Cook had her money back. Mrs. Smith said she was shaking with joy and gave Mr. Primer a big hug. "The deputy said, 'No, I think someone else deserves that,'" Mrs. Smith said.
Mrs. Lenk said the couple had worried that the money meant a great deal to someone. "We thought, what if it's some little old lady, and that's what it turned out to be," she said. "I'm just glad she got it back."
Mrs. Smith said she was left speechless by the Lenks' honesty.
"I can't thank them enough," she said. "I want to meet them and tell them how much it means. They deserve a reward for their honesty, kindness and caring. I'm just so amazed the wonderful people they are. For what they did, I just can't say enough. I thank God they were right there. There are some good people in this world."
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