What would you do? Updated info.

Dan(NM) said:

I appreciate everybody's time and input concerning this matter. Here is an update. I wanted to clear my conscience and make a concerted effort to reunite the ring with its rightful owner. So, I contacted A&M again. I was told by the person on the other end of the line that they had sent multiple emails and they had tried calling the number on file. The lady said that they were getting a voicemail full or not set up. She suggested that I send the ring to them and they would hold it until they were able to make contact. I told her that I wasn't willing to do that. She asked me why not? I told her I wanted to make personal contact with the owner and that that's the way I've done it with other rings that I found. She didn't sound too happy about that remark. So, on my way to town, I got to thinking, why haven't they tried sending the guy a text message. So I called back again and ask the lady if they tried sending him a text message. She said they were unable to send a text message because all they had there were landlines. In my mind I'm thinking, you guys are college graduates and you can't figure out to send a text message on a personal phone. I told her I wanted to text the guy and asked her if I could have the phone number. She gave me the phone number and I tried to call and got the same results they did. I sent a text with no response. On my way home I got a phone call from A&M. Come to find out they were able to get a hold of his mother.She toldthem he had a new phone number. I sent a text to the new number and within 20 seconds I got a phone call from the owner. The guy was over the moon that I had actually found his ring. He gave me the story and he told me the exact park where he was and the circumstances in which the ring was lost. Come to find out they were sending emails to his college email, which he never uses and he had changed his phone number. The ring is now on its way back back to the owner, case closed. I damn sure am going to use a little bit more discretion next time I find a massive ring like that. Lesson learned. BTW... I also informed him that in another couple of week, that ring would have been sold and melted down. He started laughing and told me he didn't blame me one bit.

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Compass said:

Awesome return Dan - congrats!!! You did a great thing and that person will never forget what you did for him. That's priceless.

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GroundSweeper said:

Ring? What ring?

Congrats on the well earned return... way more effort than I would put in by A LOT.

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Dan(NM) said:

....The guy was over the moon that I had actually found his ring......

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Detector said:

..... Every one I turned in got "claimed". Up until then, none had ever been claimed. HUM?....

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Tom_in_CA said:

This has been the subject of speculation on past threads about L&F matters. Like you allude to : What's to stop the front desk clerk , or someone in the back-office, from becoming the proud new owner of a ring ?

I know this sounds dastardly, but put yourself in their minds : IT WAS NEVER YOURS IN THE FIRST PLACE. You only found it. You turned it in knowing FULL WELL it might get claimed. So .... how have you been harmed ?

Yes I know that's corrupt thinking. But just sayin' .... you can see how a less-than-honest moral-code might actually justify it thinking "no one's harmed". Eg.: Wait until the 29th day, then call their cousin Bob and say "Hey Bob, you want a nice Rolex ? Come down to the station and describe a Rolex with the following features".

I have often thought about taking my own wedding ring down to the local police to test out their system. But seriously now, today's police have much bigger fish to fry. They see the biggest scum and most depressing things society has to offer. So to them, this is nothing. And probably just a waste of their time that they'd prefer not to be bothered with perhaps.

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Tom_in_CA said:

Wow, that's an interesting question. It's also a legal question. Because : Since you were so nice to reach out to find an owner, let's just say (hypothetically) that you waited several more months. And then melted it down and spent the cash. But then all of the sudden they contact you, and you are put into contact with the bona fide owner . You tell that owner : " Sorry, I already melted your ring and spent the $$."

Would you be in some sort of legal trouble ? Because all 50 states (including your state of Texas) has "Lost & Found" laws. That typically stipulate that if anyone finds an item worth over a set-amount (typically like $100 or more), that they are to turn in the item to police L&F. It is *NOT* up to individuals to try their own repatriation attempts. And if no one claimed the item in 30 days, that you can go back to the police and claim it for yourself.

These L&F laws were born out of wandering cattle laws of the 1800s. And serve a good purpose . Now, are those L&F laws ever invoked for our type of fumble-fingers stuff ? Of course not. But *could* someone cry foul, in a case-like-yours ?

From a "reasonable man" perspective, it seems reasonable that if no one has gotten back to you by now, that they most likely WON'T get back to you. But from a technical legal perspective, you were already in-the-wrong. For not trotting down to the police station on the first day you found it.

And the law makes no provision for how long you think the ring was lost for. Ie.: We are not allowed to rationalize : "Shucks, this has been here for years, so I bet the person is no longer looking for it".

So to answer your question: Do you want the realistic answer ? Or the technical answer ? (BTW : Nice find ! )

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Detector said:

30 years ago I used to turn them in to the local police and in 30 days if no one claimed it, they'd give it back. That stopped about 20 years ago. Every one I turned in got "claimed". Up until then, none had ever been claimed. HUM?

I no longer trust local law enforcement any more than I trust the IRS.

Wait 6 months and if no one claims it with what you've done, keep it.

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3.14R8 said:

I found a wallet with cash in it a couple of years ago in front of a bank so I took it onto the bank where they proceeded to treat me like a criminal so I took it to the sheriff station with my three grandsons in tow where they treated me in the same manner (so much for teaching my grandkids a lesson) they took my phone number but never called so about 5 weeks later I paid them a visit and they told me it went into their coffer funds and I wouldn't be getting the cash. So I wrote the guy a letter (I videoed the contents before handing it in) he called me and said he never got it back and that he lost it coming out of the bank. I haven't returned or handed in anything in to the cops since and have renewed my lifetime membership in the finders keepers club!

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LongJohnSilver1 said:

Pretty much that's what happens here. The police here sell off the goods handed in every few months ...

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Tom_in_CA said:

That is such a tragic story. Hopefully its unique to just your city/location.

It seems to me that the guy who eventually found out the police did that (with no repatriation attempt), could legally go after the cops ? I dunno.

I found a wallet on the street late one night years ago. I was driving along, and just spotted it in the middle of the night. It had no cash in it. But it did have ID to some guy in a city about 30 minutes from my city. I tried to find a phone #, but .... couldn't. So rather than mail it to the address on the license, I just dropped it off at the local police station (figured they'd mail it to him at their expense).

As I turned to leave the police station lobby, they asked for my ph. # "in case there were any questions". They were polite and kind.


A few days later I got a call from the police in that neighboring town. They were asking me questions about the wallet (Eg.: where did you find it, what time did you find it, etc...). It turns out the guy was a victim of a mugging, and was beaten to within an inch of his life ! He was on life support in the hospital, and they didn't know if he was going to live. And if he died, it becomes a murder case.

They had no witnesses and no leads to who did the crime. Until all-of-sudden, they learn that his wallet turned up 30 miles away. They sent a detective to meet me. He drove me out to the spot, and wanted to know exactly where on the street it was (so that they could deduce which direction the car was going, etc....). And exactly the time. As it turns out, I'd found it only 30 or 40 minutes after the victim was found near-death in the alley, meaning that the perpetrator had made an immediate drive to my city, 30 miles away. So they wondered if I'd seen any suspicious vehicles, blah blah

All these things were detective work to try to hone down potential suspects. They were very grateful for the help, they were kind and respectful, etc... And hopefully they caught the perp.

Thus : Not every attempt to be a good Samaritan is met with ingrates and rude or corrupt cops.

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LongJohnSilver1 said:

Pretty much that's what happens here. The police here sell off the goods handed in every few months and use the money to fund themselves. I'm not paying (more) money to give me a ticket!

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KOB said:

Ok. I will repeat this again for you moral rookies and rid your conscience. When I find a ring , I yell in my loudest whisper : Did anyone lose a ring ? I have not had anyone speak up. I'm also hard of hearing. Lol

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