A man in Connecticut who says he found a bag full of $5,000 in cash in a parking lot has now been charged in connection with the would-be windfall.
Earlier this month, the Trumbull Police Department released a statement revealing that 56-year-old Robert Withington had been charged with third-degree larceny. Last Friday, police said, Withington turned himself in, at which point he was released on a Promise to Appear. He's due in court next week.
Police claim they were notified back in May that a local Tax Collector Office worker had been “unable to locate the bank deposit bag” during a delivery. According to detectives, the bag in question had been "inadvertently" dropped outside the bank but was “clearly marked” with bank-related symbols, as well as other documents noting that the money was town property.
Speaking with the Connecticut Post, however, Withington said he didn’t notice any such details about the bag of cash when he walked into the parking lot and found it on the ground.
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"This is like a crock of baloney,” Withington said of the charge against him, adding that he initially felt like he had “hit the lottery” but now feels differently.
Experts cited in the above report note their assessment that it's unlikely the charge against Withington will hold as the case moves forward, though that remains to be seen. Also unclear is why, exactly, the bag of cash in question was seemingly left unattended.
Complex has reached out to the Trumbull Police Department for additional comment. This story may be updated. Withington is expected to appear in court on Sept. 5.
