Recycling facility worker finds $525 cash, returns it to rightful owners

Yes, Virginia, there is such a thing as a good Samaritan.

That was proven last week when a worker at the Emmet County Recycling Facility in Harbor Springs came across an envelope that stood out from the rest of the thousands of pounds of paper being sorted through.

Farley, who is 25 years old, didn't open the envelope. Instead, he approached his supervisor, Amy Chaskey. When she opened it, she discovered $525 in cash inside.

"We have found money through the years, and all my guys have always come to me and said, 'I found this money,'" Chaskey says. "If we can track down the owners, we do. If we can't, the guys get to keep it. We've never found that large of an amount of money before."

And then the detective work began. Workers at the recycling center noted that a woman's name, Amber Barker, was on the outside of the envelope. They also noted it was a bank envelope, so they called.

It turned out that Barker had used the envelope to pay her rent to her landlord, Judy Hills of Petoskey, who had written her name on the envelope and marked the rent as paid. Somehow, the rent payment disappeared, having made its way into the recycling tote and to the center.

The recycling center contacted Barker, who contacted Hill, and the money was returned.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Amy Chaskey, Emmet County Recycling Facility