Niamh Shackleton
A man who thought he'd struck gold after finding a bag of cash containing $5,000 has been charged with third-degree larceny - but insists he's done nothing wrong.
Robert Withington, from Trumbull, Connecticut thought he had 'hit the lottery' in May after finding the bag on the ground outside a local bank.
In that situation, anyone would probably think the same.
However, things took a turn after local police launched an investigation into the missing cash when an employee of the Town’s Tax Collector Office reported the money missing.
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In a Facebook post, Trumbull Police said that the employee was on their way to make a deposit to Trumbull Bank, but were unable to locate the bag, to which the police was then notified.
They also said that the bag was 'clearly marked with the bank’s insignia and contained numerous documents that identified the owner of the contents as the Town of Trumbull'.
After the money was reported missing, Trumbull police launched months-long investigation into the matter where they combed through 'multiple surveillance videos' and conducted interviews.
According to Withington, there was 'no one around' at the time so he just 'picked it up'.
"It’s not like I stole something.” he told Connecticut Post.
Trumbull Police continued to say that they eventually interviewed Withington, who 'made admissions indicating that he was at the bank on May 30th and had taken the bag that contained almost $5,000 in cash'.
He then went on to hand himself in on Friday (25 August), police say, and has since been charged with third-degree larceny.
However, the 56-year-old says he 'didn’t think [he] was doing anything wrong' at the time that he found the cash.
"This is like a crock of baloney. I found money and now it’s probably going to cost me money." he said.
Third-degree larceny is classed as a class D felony in Connecticut and can be punishable by up to five years in prison and (coincidentally) a $5,000 fine.
Withington also said that if he knew he was wrong for taking the money, he would have 'given it right back'.
However, in their Facebook post, Trumbull Police said that he'd 'kept the bag' because he believed 'he had no obligation to return the bag to its rightful owner'.
Withington told CTPost that it's not like he 'planned' for the situation to happen, adding: "Everything was in the moment and it was like I hit the lottery.
"That was it.”
Trumbull Police also say in their post that he was charged and then released on 'a promise' to appear in court.
His court date has been set for 5 September as the investigation into the matter continues.