Pubdate: Sat, 19 Feb 2000
Source: Houston Chronicle (TX)
Copyright: 2000 Houston Chronicle
Contact:  Viewpoints Editor, P.O. Box 4260 Houston, Texas 77210-4260
Fax: (713) 220-3575
Website: http://www.chron.com/
Forum: http://www.chron.com/content/hcitalk/index.html
Author: Susan Parrott, Associated Press

FINDERS WEEPERS?

Couple who found money are fighting police, DEA to get it back

DALLAS -- When a suburban Dallas couple found a bag with $300,000 and a
handgun two months ago, they say they didn't hesitate to turn the cash over
to police.

But now that no one's claimed the money, they say they are entitled to get
it back.

The couple -- a maintenance worker and a kidney transplant patient -- say
the money was meant for them as a blessing from God.

But authorities believe the money may be part of a drug deal, and because
federal agents are investigating, the return policy doesn't apply.

The Duncanville residents, who are in their 40s, asked not to be identified
because they fear for their safety.

The couple discovered the money Dec. 4 in a duffle bag left in a southwest
Dallas intersection. The woman said she expected to find student textbooks
when she discovered wads of $100 bills.

"I was like, `Oh, Lord!' Then I wondered if someone was watching me or we
might be in danger," she said.

The couple said they flagged down a police officer, who said they could get
the cash back if it wasn't claimed within 60 days.

The next day, the woman said police called her with a claim number and a
tally of $299,100.

But the money now is tied up in an investigation by the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration, which found traces of cocaine on the bills.

If the money is found to be connected to a crime, the DEA and Dallas Police
Department could seize the money and share it.

"The DEA determined this is drug money," said Sgt. Hollis Edwards, a Dallas
Police Department spokesman. "It is not the same thing as finding a wallet."

If the money is returned the police department, it probably will be used for
crime-fighting efforts, Edwards said.

Robert Udashen, the couple's attorney, said authorities are backing out of
their policy because they want to keep the cash. He said traces of illegal
drugs can be found on most bills in circulation.

"This is the ancient legal doctrine of finders keepers, losers weepers," he
said. "My clients found it and reported it to the police like good, honest
citizens. Under the law, it belongs to them."

Udashen said the couple has filed a claim for the cash with the DEA and city
of Dallas.

He said some of the money also appears to be missing, and may have been
stolen while in police custody. The DEA confirms that $286,600 was turned
over by police, $12,500 less than the amount reported to the couple.

Edwards said that the department has launched an investigation into the
missing money and the possibility of theft.

The woman who found the money says she believed God wants her to have the
cash to pay medical bills and help her church ministry.

She said that the day before, they had given their last $200 in spending
money to help overseas missionaries fleeing for safety.

"We feel like it was from God," the woman said. "Nobody finds $300,000 in
the middle of the road. I think he wanted me to have the money."

She says she has serious medical problems, including complications from a
kidney transplant in 1990.

"It would get me to doctors I'm not able to see now because of my HMO. It
would be the key to saving my life and not dying."

But claiming the money could be dangerous, too, said Frank Seib, the DEA's
acting special agent in charge in Dallas.

"It was found in the middle of the highway with a loaded 9 mm on top," he
said. "If I take that money home, I'm going to watch out my window for a
long time. Somebody is coming after it."
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