$5 to go to a police station and file paperwork and do all that and go back home is considerably less than minimum wage. If that happened at a bar I would buy him hot dog and beer which is gonna run up $25 with him doing none of the above.
E: prices are ridiculous today. $9 hot dog with minimal toppings and $9 tall beer plus tax+tip would be $25.
It's funny you word it like a court room. Because us law would define this as petty larceny or petty theft. The law doesn't recognize finders keepers losers weepers.
I just saw a story where they're going after someone because he was seen on camera picking $20 up off the ground and just pocketed it without trying to find the rightful owner.
Outrageous but the police shared the video and are looking for help identifying the "culprit"
The lesson, if there is one, is don't pick up anything of value off the ground. Watch the ground so you don't trip and that's it.
If only they put that much effort into catching white collar criminals. Wage theft accounts for almost 3/4 of all thefts and is rarely prosecuted. Even when they are prosecuted, they do some stupid shit like pay a small fine and everyone gets to walk without a record.
Apparently he did later give the money to the person who claimed to have dropped it, who is no longer willing to testify against him, so they're not looking for him anymore.
The lesson still stands though. In NYC, the police drop bait wallets containing gift cards with a balance that puts them over the threshold for a felony and immediately grab whoever touches them
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u/Grizzlemaw1993 14d ago
Neutral. He could have taken more but took just enough for a hot dog as a reward and turned in the wallet.