Finders keepers? Georgia police didn’t see it that way.
A Walmart shopper who apparently believed he had stumbled onto a small stroke of luck after spotting $30 on the floor instead found himself at the center of an unexpected police search.
The Albany Police Department in Georgia asked the public to help identify a man accused of picking up the cash and walking away with it — a request that quickly drew ridicule online from people who viewed the response as wildly excessive.
“An individual dropped $30.00 on the ground while shopping. This individual picked up the money and did not turn it in to the employees,” the department wrote in an August 18 Facebook post, sharing an image of the alleged money-finder walking through the store.
Police also directed anyone with information that could help identify the man to contact a tip line.
The post sparked an immediate backlash on social media, where commenters questioned why law enforcement would devote time and resources to a case involving such a small amount of found cash.
“When I was out with some friends I found a bank envelope in a parking lot that appeared to be from a withdrawal and it had $8,000 in it. Now that is something you turn in not $30 found inside a Walmart,” one Facebook user wrote in response.
“Wait… you want to find this man because he didn’t report to yall about finding it? What was they going to do? ‘ATTENTION SHOPPERS! $30 HAS BEEN FOUND. IF IT BELONGS TO YOU, PLEASE COME GET IT…’” another commenter posted.
The Peach State police later posted that the man was identified and returned the money to its rightful owner, who decided against pressing charges.
“The male involved in the incident returned the money to the victim. The victim initially wished to pursue charges, but after the money was returned, advised that they no longer wished to press charges,” the Albany Police Department wrote.
Georgia law stipulates that if a person takes possession of property they know to have been lost without first making an honest effort to return it that could constitute theft.
But social media users weren’t buying it.
“So when I find pennies and quarters on the ground, who do I turn them in to?” one user wrote.
