It’s a whacked world where returning $17,000 gets you a fine of $500

As good caring members of our society we would always hope that we would do the right, as well as teach our children to do the same, regardless of whatever temptation gets thrown in our direction.

Robert Adams, a 54 year old resident of Arlington Heights in Chicago, is one of those people even though it ended up costing him $500 to do the right thing. It turns out the Adams found a bank bag containing $17,000 and rather turn it in at the location where he found it, a Walgreens ATM in Midlothian, he turned it into a police station closer to home.

The problem occurred when he told the police that he had found the cash outside a newspaper stand in Rolling Meadows but the police discovered otherwise when they were reviewing video surveillance. As a result Adams was slapped with a fine of $500 for lying and filing a false report.

When reached by phone Wednesday night, Adams said he felt more comfortable turning the cash in to Rolling Meadows officials and filing the report with Rolling Meadows police.

“I know now a little better than I knew then,” he said. “I feel very badly and understand why I should have told the truth.”

Adams said it was a hot day and he just wanted to get home. “I wasn’t looking for a reward. I was just doing the right thing,” he said.

via Chicago Tribune