Woman rewarded with clear conscience
Updated: June 8, 2012
TAYLORVILLE -- What would you do if you found a wallet filled with cash? It's easy to "say" you'd turn it in, but actually returning it can be another story. It happened to a woman in Our Town Taylorville while she was at work. WCIA-3's Steve Staeger has her story.
Sharon Walker was having a typical day at work as a meter reader for Ameren. But, in a second, everything changed.
"The grass was kinda high so I was moving it so the sticker bushes weren't cutting my leg. And I stepped on a wallet. At first I thought a kid just threw it in and there was nothing in it. But I looked in it and there was almost $500 in it."
$500 sitting in a bush. Money in her pocket, right? Well, maybe not.
"I just took it to the sheriff's office and turned it in. I'd rather have god's blessing on me and doing the right thing than to spend somebody else's money and live in terror for the rest of my life."
In this case, doing the right thing, did pay off.
"It's so rewarding to see someone come in and do the right thing to do."
Christian County Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp gave Walker a special award.
"It would have been just as easy for her to take that money out of the billfold, put it in her pocket, and move on to the next meter. But she didn't do that. What she did was she did the right thing, the honest thing, the moral thing to do."
Turns out, the wallet had been missing for about 3-yaers. The man who lost it never thought he'd get it back, especially with the money inside.
"I think its typical of what she did is it shows what kind of people we have here in Christian County. We have very honest, moral character hardworking people here in Christian County."
"It makes me feel great. And hopefully other people will do the right thing if they come upon someone else's money."
The moral of the story? Sometimes a clean conscience is worth more than money can buy.
Sharon Walker was having a typical day at work as a meter reader for Ameren. But, in a second, everything changed.
"The grass was kinda high so I was moving it so the sticker bushes weren't cutting my leg. And I stepped on a wallet. At first I thought a kid just threw it in and there was nothing in it. But I looked in it and there was almost $500 in it."
$500 sitting in a bush. Money in her pocket, right? Well, maybe not.
"I just took it to the sheriff's office and turned it in. I'd rather have god's blessing on me and doing the right thing than to spend somebody else's money and live in terror for the rest of my life."
In this case, doing the right thing, did pay off.
"It's so rewarding to see someone come in and do the right thing to do."
Christian County Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp gave Walker a special award.
"It would have been just as easy for her to take that money out of the billfold, put it in her pocket, and move on to the next meter. But she didn't do that. What she did was she did the right thing, the honest thing, the moral thing to do."
Turns out, the wallet had been missing for about 3-yaers. The man who lost it never thought he'd get it back, especially with the money inside.
"I think its typical of what she did is it shows what kind of people we have here in Christian County. We have very honest, moral character hardworking people here in Christian County."
"It makes me feel great. And hopefully other people will do the right thing if they come upon someone else's money."
The moral of the story? Sometimes a clean conscience is worth more than money can buy.
