One woman’s honesty has paid off. Kind of.
What to Know
- 12-year-old Paige Woodie found $3 on the street in 2004 and turned it in to Monmouth Beach PD
- Some 14 years later, police knocked on her door, asked if she remembered what she'd done, and handed her the $3
- Woodie will split the 'Christmas miracle' with a friend who was with her when they found the money
Twelve-year-old Paige Woodie found $3 on the street in Monmouth Beach in 2004, and like the Girl Scout she once was, dutifully walked to the police department and turned the money in to officers.
Some 14 years later, the police appeared at her front door with an envelope.
Turns out the Monmouth Beach Police Department had held onto the money in evidence all those years. Since no one ever claimed it, they returned it to Woodie -- though she inadvertently got a little scare first.
"They said 'do you remember what you did in 2004,'" Woodie told News 4. "I looked back to 2004 - I couldn't have done anything that bad."
That's when police reminded her about the money and handed it over.
"It's a Christmas miracle," she said.
Local
Woodie's not actually $3 richer, though; she has to split the money with her friend Jackie Bradley, who was with her when they found it and turned it in.
"I think we should all expect our children to do that and really expect nothing less from them. If you raise your kids right they're going to be honest and they're going grow up to be honest and hopefully that's what we can all take from the story," Monmouth Beach Police Sgt. Jeff Godwin told News 4.
