A Connecticut man who found a bag containing almost $5,000 in cash laying in a parking lot claims it felt like he had won the lotto. So he made the decision to keep it.
He has been accused of stealing three months later.
It turned out that the bag, which Trumbull Police claimed was seized outside the same bank and was plainly marked with a bank’s symbol, contained money from the town’s tax department. The town of Trumbull was listed as the legitimate owner of the money in “numerous documents” that were also found there, according to the police.
Robert Withington, 56, a resident of Trumbull, claims he did not steal the money and failed to see any identifying marks inside the bag.
“It’s not like this was planned out,” Withington said to Hearst Connecticut Media. “Everything happened immediately, and I felt as though I had won the lottery. It ended there.
On Withington’s work phone on Tuesday, The Associated Press left a message requesting comment. There were no longer active phone numbers for Withington.
On May 30, the money went missing. According to a police news release, when a representative from the Trumbull Tax Collector’s office arrived at the bank to make a deposit throughout regular business hours, they were unable to locate the bag. Detectives discovered the bag had been “inadvertently dropped on the ground outside of the bank” and Withington had picked it up after obtaining search warrants, reviewing various surveillance recordings from nearby businesses, and conducting numerous interviews over the ensuing months.
Withington told Hearst, “I walked out onto the parking lot and saw something on the floor and there was nobody around so I picked it up.” It’s not as though I stole anything.
“I would have given it immediately back if I had known I was in the first place mistaken. I didn’t believe I was acting improperly, he continued.
Withington reportedly admitted snatching the bag during his interview with police when he had eventually visited the bank. According to the press release, he told them that he didn’t feel obligated to give the bag back to its proper owner.
Withington, who owns a dog training company, assured Hearst that he had no criminal history and that his clients could speak for his honesty. He was charged on Friday with third-degree larceny, a crime that carries a maximum five-year jail sentence as well as a $5,000 fine. He was released on the condition that he show up in court on September 5.
He claimed, “Anyone who knows me knows all I’m about is generosity. I’ve spent 20 years living here; I’m not looking for trouble.