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College Students In New Paltz Find $40,000 In Couch Bought At Thrift Store
ABC7 ^ | Thursday, May 15, 2014 | Jim Dolan

Posted on 05/15/2014 2:18:11 PM PDT by nickcarraway

They picked it up at a local thrift store, paying only $20 for the couch.

But inside, three college roomates found a stash full of money, totalling $40,000.

The students in New Paltz had a tough decision: do they keep the money or track down the owner who stole it?

The ugly and kind of uncomfortable couch came from the Salvation Army, and for a couple of months it just sat there in the tiny apartment, until Reese Werkhoven decided to find out why it was so lumpy.

"There's a zipper on the bottom, and he pulled out a bag, and we said it's either drugs or money, and we freak out and it's a stack of hundreds and fifties," said student Lara Russo.

"So we pulled it out of the couch and we're shaking and the first thing Lara said is 'lock the doors'," said Reese.

"Next door they actually thought that we won the lottery. Our walls are really thin between our wall and their wall," said social worker Callie Guasti.

The first envelope had $4,000 in it, the others added up to over $40,000.

"At first we found the money but there was no name or anything, and we're bugging out, like, what kind of boat are we going to get, where are we going," said Reese.

"I wanted to go on an epic road trip around the United States, that would be awesome," said Lara.

Envelope by envelope the money was piling up, and the Salvation Army doesn't keep records on this sort of thing, so they wouldn't have known who donated that couch. The three admit they were thinking about all the cool things they could do with that money, until they found the deposit slip. And then it became a whole different moral issue.

But what's most remarkable about the three, who are all from New York City and went to the same high school, is that there wasn't a question or even a debate. The money wasn't theirs.

"We were always pretty clear, if we could find her and she was alive, it was her money, no matter what the circumstances," Lara said.

They tracked down the woman whose name was on the envelope. She is 91 years old and had recently broken a hip. She didn't trust banks, and her kids donated the couch when she was in the hospital. She was a widow.

"That's one of the things she said, 'I feel like this is a gift from my husband, he's looking down on me and that's part of the reason you guys came here', which was so touching," said Callie.

Three kids, whose collective savings add up to, well, they don't have any savings. But they sure do have an abundance of goodwill.

"It wasn't a debate, we immediately reached a consensus that this is her money," said Reese.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Education; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: moralabsolutes
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1 posted on 05/15/2014 2:18:11 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway
The students in New Paltz had a tough decision: do they keep the money or track down the owner who stole it?

I think the writer meant "who sold it" not "who stole it"!

BTW, good story about these kids doing the right thing.

2 posted on 05/15/2014 2:23:23 PM PDT by Flick Lives ("I can't believe it's not Fascism!")
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To: nickcarraway

A really beautiful thing those kids did.


3 posted on 05/15/2014 2:23:23 PM PDT by Beowulf9
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To: Beowulf9

Absolutely! I am among the loudest on these threads when it comes to dumping on Millenials, but these kids absolutely showed the kind of character, honesty, and respect for others which made this country great. And it does give me some hope.


4 posted on 05/15/2014 2:25:05 PM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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To: nickcarraway

I would have kept the money.


5 posted on 05/15/2014 2:38:49 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist (100% pure organic, free-range conservative)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

Me too. If you’re stupid enough to donate a couch in which you have $40,000 stashed, well, you’re stupid.


6 posted on 05/15/2014 2:42:32 PM PDT by petercooper ("I was for letting people keep their health insurance, before I wasn't". --- Barack Obama)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

Keep quiet, and split the money. No telling if it was granny’s stash, a drug dealer ripoff, or worse, a Clinton or BHO bundler...


7 posted on 05/15/2014 2:43:01 PM PDT by Calvin Locke
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To: nickcarraway

40 grand would buy one helluva toga party!


8 posted on 05/15/2014 2:45:22 PM PDT by Veggie Todd (The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. TJ)
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To: nickcarraway

I think they did the right thing, but it can be argued on the other side.

They bought the couch in good faith. Whatever was in the couch went with it.

They had no moral obligation to return the money, but since the couch was donated without the knowledge or consent of the actual owner, I think what they did was admirable.


9 posted on 05/15/2014 2:47:35 PM PDT by Sherman Logan
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To: petercooper
She didn't donate it. Her kids did when she was in the hospital. These kids are amazing and a great reflection on their parents. It makes me feel great that we still have kids like this in this country.

For the record I would have been sorely tempted to just keep the money...I hope I would have had the integrity to do what these kids did.

10 posted on 05/15/2014 2:48:41 PM PDT by pgkdan (ISLAM IS THE RELIGION OF THE ANTICHRIST!)
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To: petercooper

Uh,,,,,,

“She didn’t trust banks, and her kids donated the couch when she was in the hospital.” 91 years old, and in the hospital with a broken hip.


11 posted on 05/15/2014 2:48:45 PM PDT by Dr. Bogus Pachysandra ( Ya can't pick up a turd by the clean end!)
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To: nickcarraway

Yeah, I’m a greedy bastard. I’m keeping the cash.


12 posted on 05/15/2014 2:50:53 PM PDT by VanDeKoik
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To: nickcarraway

So someone wants to hide something in a couch and installs a ZIPPER instead of sewing it closed again??


13 posted on 05/15/2014 2:51:40 PM PDT by Still Thinking (Freedom is NOT a loophole!)
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To: Dr. Bogus Pachysandra; GeronL; Tax-chick
“She didn’t trust banks, and her kids donated the couch when she was in the hospital.” 91 years old, and in the hospital with a broken hip

If her kids didn't know about it, she didn't trust them either!

14 posted on 05/15/2014 2:55:48 PM PDT by Ezekiel (All who mourn the destruction of America merit the celebration of her rebirth.)
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To: nickcarraway

Did they “check their privilege?” I mean... really./sarc


15 posted on 05/15/2014 2:57:02 PM PDT by Thorliveshere (Minnesota Survivor)
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To: nickcarraway

“I feel like this is a gift from my husband, he’s looking down on me and that’s part of the reason you guys came here”

She trusts and most certainly misses her husband.


16 posted on 05/15/2014 2:59:52 PM PDT by Carthego delenda est
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To: Sherman Logan
They bought the couch in good faith. Whatever was in the couch went with it. They had no moral obligation to return the money, but since the couch was donated without the knowledge or consent of the actual owner, I think what they did was admirable.

I would say that contractually, their good faith purchase is trumped by the lack of knowledge or consent by the owner of the sale. So they actually had no legal claim to the money. Morally, of course, they certainly had no claim to money once they realized they could contact the owner and return it.

Practically speaking, however, since no one knew of their discovery but them, these issues conflated into a spiritual test - which they passed.

17 posted on 05/15/2014 3:08:01 PM PDT by Talisker (One who commands, must obey.)
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To: Ezekiel

LOL! A friend of my brother’s inherited an auto salvage lot when his grandfather died, and he found cash squirrelled away in many of the junk cars.

The grandfather fell off the porch and broke his leg, and when he woke up and found he was in the hospital, he died of a heart attack, poor fellow.


18 posted on 05/15/2014 3:10:15 PM PDT by Tax-chick (If I offended you, you needed it.)
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To: Still Thinking

Sofa cushions have zippers on them, so you can take the covers off to clean them, or replace the foam insert if it’s too lumpy or the cat peed on it.


19 posted on 05/15/2014 3:12:56 PM PDT by Tax-chick (If I offended you, you needed it.)
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To: Still Thinking
So someone wants to hide something in a couch and installs a ZIPPER instead of sewing it closed again??

Most all sofa cushions that are removable have zippers. It's easier, cheaper, and faster than tying to sew them shut after they've been stuffed. Worked in the furniture-making biz for a few years. Stuffing cushions sucked. It was made easier with a vacuum and some silicone spray (wrap the foam in light plastic, vacuum shrink it, put the cover on, release the vacuum, then work the foam into the corners and zip 'em up.

20 posted on 05/15/2014 3:13:09 PM PDT by IYAS9YAS (Has anyone seen my tagline? It was here yesterday. I seem to have misplaced it.)
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