Missing $1,200 returned to rightful owner

SOUTH SALT LAKE — It's a story of incredible honesty during tough economic times.

Julio Venegas works as a convenience store clerk and, like most people, could always use some extra money. Last Thursday, while working at the Chevron station on the corner of 3300 South and Main Street, sitting unattended on the floor in front of his counter was $1,200 cash.

But rather than pocketing the money, Venegas turned it over to authorities.

"I wanted to do the right thing," Venegas said. "I wanted to give it to the person it belonged to."

Tuesday, police were able to locate the man who dropped the money, Richard Fairbanks, and return his cash to him. As soon as he received it, Fairbanks went straight to the Chevron station to see Venegas.

"I want to thank you so much," Fairbanks told Venegas as he shook his hand.

Venegas' story of great honesty started Jan. 29 between 11 a.m. and noon. Fairbanks, a landlord, had just finished collecting rent money from tenants and had $1,200 in his wallet. He stopped by the Chevron to buy something and just as he was putting his wallet back in his pocket to walk away, he unknowingly dropped his money on the floor.

Store surveillance video shows the cash actually sat unnoticed for up to two minutes and was even kicked at one point by another customer before someone looked down and spotted it.

Another customer tried to convince the store clerks the money was his, said store owner Shannon Harris. But Venegas knew it didn't belong to that man. Furthermore, Venegas said he knew he couldn't keep it either.

"It wasn't my money, so I had to turn it in to the right person," said the shy Venegas, who obviously wasn't comfortable with the media attention he received Tuesday. "If that happened to me, I would have been stressed out myself. It's not my money. I didn't earn it."

Fairbanks, meanwhile, didn't realize his money was missing until the weekend. He said he had suffered some health problems and went to the hospital shortly after visiting the store.

When Fairbanks realized his money was missing, he assumed it was "gone for good," that the odds of someone finding it and being honest were "one in a million."

After store surveillance video was released by South Salt Lake police to the media, Fairbanks' granddaughters saw the pictures, recognized their grandfather and called him. Tuesday, police returned Fairbanks' money.

"I thought it was fantastic someone would pick it up and turn it in," he said.

"It re-establishes your faith in mankind," added South Salt Lake police detective Gary Keller, who also noted that once the video was released, returning Fairbanks' money "was like clockwork."

E-mail: preavy@desnews.com