A Good Samaritan turned in a wallet containing $10,000 in cash to Laguna Beach lifeguards last weekend and its grateful owner would like to thank the person responsible, police said in a statement Thursday.
The owner of the wallet withdrew cash from a local bank to pay a contractor for renovation work on a Laguna Beach restaurant, Lt. Jason Kravetz said. After obtaining the money, the man sat on a bench at Main Beach and enjoyed a coffee while making phone calls. He left the bench around 1:15 p.m. and forgot to take his wallet. A short time later, an unknown Good Samaritan found the wallet and turned it in to lifeguards, who in turn called police.
Officer Matt Meadows located a Florida driver’s license in the wallet and within an hour had tracked down the owner. The distracted man expressed shock that the cash was still inside. Meadows learned the man had recently moved to Newport Coast from the Miami area and was in the process of opening a new restaurant in town.
