A California man who's in rehab and financially struggling found $125,000 abandoned in a bag on the side of the road.
But instead of cashing in on the lucky find, Joe Cornell, of Fresno, had it turned over to the authorities, ABC News reported. Police returned the cash to the company it belonged to, which is now considering a $5,000 reward to Cornell for his selflessness.
Cornell, in rehab for drug addiction since January, admitted he first thought about keeping the dough.
"I thought about it, it was a good-devil-bad-devil thing on your shoulder, but taking the money wouldn't compare to what my grandkids would think of me if I did something like that," Cornell, 52, told ABC News. "This shelter is trying to change my life. I tried to do the right thing."
Cornell works washing and shining cars at a parking lot across the street from the Salvation Army Fresno Adult Rehabilitation Center. He told ABC News he was at work watering trees when he saw a car honk at an armored truck on the corner.
"The car had pulled up next to the truck, like it had dropped something," Cornell said.
Cornell went to see what was dropped after the truck and car drove away.
"I look and I see this big orange bag, like a Santa Claus bag. I thought, 'No way, it's got to be clothes or something,' " Cornell told ABC News. "Inside, I saw some of the money sticking out, individually wrapped stacks of $100s. It looked like deposits from businesses."
Cornell took all $125,000 and gave it to his supervisor at the shelter, who turned it over to the police.
The money belonged to the security company Brink's, which owns the truck Cornell saw when he found the bag. The company plans on giving a $5,000 donation to the shelter in addition to Cornell's reward.
Cornell said he has no second thoughts about doing the right thing.
"I have been to jail too many times. I'm tired of doing that. People have called me crazy, but I am here trying to change my life," Cornell said.
