OGDEN – Police are looking for a trio of thieves who might not realize they stole $500 from someone else. Investigators say they ruined one woman’s Christmas.
It happened on December 21st in the Burlington store on Wall Avenue. Investigators say a woman dropped an envelope with the cash inside. Lieutenant Tim Scott says the woman was going to use it for Christmas presents, but, it was picked up by two women and one man who should have tried to find the owner. “They actually spent the money and left the store with an undisclosed amount,” Scott says.
He says this could lead to a Class A misdemeanor if the trio are found. He adds, from a legal standpoint, “It would be the same degree as if I walked into a store and took $500 out of the grocery till.”
This may come as a surprise to the people caught on video taking the money. “If you find something that doesn’t belong to you, you’ll want to take the reasonable steps to find the owner. Our state statute, along with every other state that I’m aware of, has a statute that says the same thing,” Scott says, adding, “I’ve looked at a lot of these Facebook comments, the majority of which are of the opinion that if they find property of another person, they’re not obligated to turn it in. So, a lot of people are unaware.”
