Fargo Area Youth Finds A Large Sum Of Money In An Unlikely Place

We've all heard the saying, "finders keepers, losers weepers" right?

Have you ever come across a large sum of money before?  Maybe a wallet you found in a parking lot or a purse left behind in a store?  Did you seek out the rightful owner?  No judgment on my part if you didn't.  Believe me, I know it's tempting to just keep it.  Who would know right?  The answer, your conscience would.

I can only imagine how difficult it would be for a teenager to do the right thing if he stumbled upon a big wad of cash in a very unlikely place.

That's exactly what happened to a Moorhead, Minnesota teenager.

Connor Halsa is about to enter his freshman year at Moorhead High School in Moorhead, Minnesota.  He was recently fishing with his family on Lake of the Woods, Minnesota.

According to a story on WDAY TV, Connor's family was pulling spinners drifting on this massive lake that is approximately 70 miles long and 70 miles wide.  Connor felt a tug on his line and he told his Dad to get the net.  What he pulled in wasn't what he expected.  They were fishing for walleyes, but instead, he hooked into a wallet.

The wallet was full of cash too, about $2,000 dollars.

Looking through the wallet they found a business card with a name.  After some searching, they found the rightful owner of the wallet.  A farmer from Iowa named Jim Denney had been fishing in the same area on Lake of the Woods about a year ago.  Apparently, Denney was in some rough water at the time and the wallet somehow worked its way out from the back of his pocket and into the big lake.

Think about the odds of catching this water-soaked wallet a year later in a one-million-acre lake in 20 feet of water.

Connor and his family of course did the right thing and returned the wallet to the farmer.  In fact, Denney recently made a trip to Moorhead to collect his cash.  He tried to give some of the money to Connor, but he wouldn't except anything.  Connor knew, that hard-earned money was not his.

In the end, the Iowa farmer brought Connor a fishing cooler and took his family out to dinner to show his appreciation.

Connor now has a fish story that is so much more than a fish story.  A story of doing the right thing and going the extra mile to do so.  Kudos Connor Halsa for being wise beyond your years.  Have a great school year.