2009 News Archive
Park worker's honesty reunites wayward cash with its owner
New York visitor lost over $200 during visit to Ocee Park
6/4/2009
When Richard Taber picked up an apparently discarded, beat-up envelope as he made his maintenance rounds at Johns Creek's Ocee Park Sunday afternoon, he really didn't give it much thought – until he looked inside.
What the worker found was $222 in cash along with a license and ATM card. He tucked the envelope away and on Monday morning turned it in. Recreation and Parks Manager Kirk Franz received it from Taber's supervisor later that day.
By Monday evening, a few miles away in Dekalb County's Toco Hills, 22-year-old Shana Nemetsky was packing her bags for the return trip to her New York City home. She was wrapping up a visit with her family that had included a Sunday afternoon trip to Johns Creek to watch her stepbrother play softball at Ocee Park.
A feeling of panic came over the Florida native as she realized that the remains of a recently cashed paycheck and – more important given her impending flight – her identification were missing.
Nemetsky called AirTran, which told her she would need two forms of ID to replace the lost license and advised her to contact police. She went to the nearest DeKalb PD office Tuesday but they sent her back to Johns Creek's department. Finally, on Wednesday with her flight just hours away, she called the Johns Creek call center and explained her dilemma. The operator transferred her to Franz.
"We hadn't been able to figure out how to reach her and when she called, I had to ask her a lot of questions to make sure she was the rightful owner," Franz said.
That afternoon, a grateful Nemetsky met her benefactor as Taber personally turned over the cash and cards.
"I was just so happy when they told me they had my money," the freelance makeup artist told Taber. "I can't thank you enough."
"I'm just glad we could get it to you before you left," replied Taber.
"That level of honesty is pretty impressive," Nemetsky said. "Not everyone would turn in that much cash. You can be sure I'll come back to Johns Creek the next time I visit."
City Manager John Kachmar also praised Taber's "highly ethical" decision.
"It would have been very easy for him to put the money in his pocket and no one would be the wiser," Kachmar said. "Especially now, when the economy is so uncertain, one could see how a person might give in to that temptation. But Mr. Taber did the right thing, not the easy thing, and I'm proud to have him representing the City of Johns Creek."
Taber works for Optech-Monette, a subcontractor for CH2M Hill, the Englewood, CO, company that provides most municipal services including recreation and parks to the City of Johns Creek under a public-private partnership contract.