One lucky Woman,

[Sandpiper]

is all I can say, Good thing no auto ran over it!



Jul 14, 7:24 PM EDT


Child finds Ark. woman's missing diamond ring


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BRYANT, Ark. (AP) -- A 6-year-old girl who found what she thought was a fake diamond ring in a Wal-Mart parking lot has helped reunite a Benton newlywed with her missing $9,000 engagement ring.

Haley Reep Wagnon lost her 1.26-carat diamond ring at a Bryant Wal-Mart on Tuesday. She reported it missing, and Bryant police reviewed Wal-Mart's surveillance videos and saw that a child picked up the ring.

"I saw a little girl pick up the ring in the parking lot, but I don't think the girl was trying to steal the ring and I don't think the family with her was even aware," Bryant police Detective Todd Crowson said. "She probably didn't even know that it is a real ring."

Police saw the family's vehicle, and were able to determine which Saline County dealership sold it to them. From there, they were able to find out who the truck was registered to - Michael Wheaton of Bryant.

"I got a call about a young lady losing a ring and a little girl picking it up and I said, 'OK, you've got my attention,'" Wheaton said. "I came down to the station and when he showed me the picture, I said, 'That's my brother from Chicago and his kids.'"

Wheaton determined that his 12-year-old daughter, Destiny, had the ring after her 6-year-old cousin gave it to her. Destiny said the ring, which she thought was fake, was in the back of Wheaton's truck.

"I couldn't believe it, especially when I saw the size of the diamond," Wheaton said. "It had been in my truck for three days. If Detective (Crowson) wouldn't have called me, who knows what would have happened to it. It could have ended up in my daughter's dresser or something."

Wagnon - who was married June 7 - got her ring back on Friday.

"I can't believe I got it back," Wagnon said. "I am just so happy. I just don't know what else to say. This just makes my day."

---

Information from: The Benton Courier, http://www.bentoncourier.com

 

[Stacey in West Palm Beach]

... I thought it was interesting that the detective said, "I don't think the little girl was trying to steal the ring..." (EXCUSE ME? Is it STEALING when we eyeball something and pick it up in a parking lot? If so, many of us may be criminals and not even know it!)

The other thing - I didn't see mention of any reward for the little girl who found the $9,000 ring that the woman carelessly lost in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Not even a gift certificate to Burger King?

I'm beginning to get jaded by the lack of appreciation that people are demonstrating to those of us who return things. Since I've been detecting (7.5 years) I have often searched for and returned things to people without receiving a word of appreciation for the items' return. I really need to hear more positive stories of the outcome of returning items to their rightful owners, other than that they are happy to have the item back. How about expressing some appreciation to the people who return the items?

This is beginning to be a pet peeve of mine.

Stacey

 

[Mike (Virginia Beach)]

I'm with you. Screw 'em, I'm keeping the stuff!

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some class rings I need to pop the stones out of and get ready to send the empty husks off to Midwest.

 

[bottlebum]

n/t

 

[Sanddigger]

n/t

 

[R-n-R Magnolia SpringsAla]

n/t

 

[Sandpiper]

Wow, I didn't want to say anything but you took the words right out of my mouth. 100% in agreement with what you said.
I've had people who acted like it was my job to find their lost items, by telling me - not asking. Excuse me, ask in a polite manner and it will be done.
I just don't understand the logic sometimes.

 

[bdahunter]

I've been a boy scout for so long that I can't help but want to help people but enough is enough. If people don't want to take due care with their property and lose it in the ocean then that's fair game. If somebody asks me to help them NICELY, of course I'll help, no reward required.(it's just a variation on my hunt) I won't throw away prime hunting time though. Work has me so busy now that I have precious little time to hunt anymore so I'm not wasting too much time on Stupid. For more on this theme see the 'Stupid Hurricane Tricks' post.

Cheers,

BDA

 

[dignigo]

And on the other hand this Idiot is returning a 2007 Class ring to a young lady in Arizona.

 

[Stacey in West Palm Beach]

n/t

 

[Kipper]

Put the shoe on the other foot for a minute. What if it were your new wife that lost the ring, or better yet YOU lost something valuable. Wouldn't you want it returned? The article did not mention a reward, but there may have been one. That kind of thing does not often get news attention. So don't give up trying to find the original owners if/when you can. I have personally returnd 6 or 7 class rings and will continue to return them when I can.

 

[Stacey in West Palm Beach]

... I think I'll seriously have to consider turning and walking away.

I don't like to be mean, but I have had a few of those types come up to me and practically demand that I find something for them. The one that I'll never forget is the bimbo who lost FIVE (yes 5) silver rings on Palm Beach during a drunken night of who knows what on the 4th of July years ago when I first started detecting. I went to the beach for a short hunt before dark on July 5th. The girl and her friends ran up to me - yes - in a demanding, sense-of-entitlement-type-of-way - telling me to come over to them and find their rings. I didn't like their attitude at all, but I did stop what I was doing and went to where they were raking through the sand with their fingers. I asked them to describe the rings and they recovered three of the rings while they were telling me about them. Two were left. One very simple cheap one (I never found it) and a really nice sounding unique silver ring. I searched and searched the area where they said they lost them at - in the dry sand - the girl had taken all her rings off the night before while partying and put them on the blanket, then forgot they were there and when she pulled up the blanket... the rings went flying. When it started getting dark, they decided to give up and leave. They said, "Oh well, you tried" and started to walk away. No thanks, or if they did say thanks, it didn't sound too heartfelt. Me, being the idiot that I was, said, "Wait... don't you want to give me your name and phone number in case I find them?" The girl who lost the ring did. Five minutes after they left, since it was getting dark I decided to hunt for the last minutes of daylight where I wanted to hunt - closer to the water. I got a strong signal - it was the REALLY nice silver ring that she lost. It was the first "quality" jewelry item that I had recovered as a newbie. MAN, did I wish I had kept my mouth shut, but I said I'd return it if I found it, so I felt compelled to do so.

When I got home I called the girl at work and left a message. She called me the next day and asked me to DELIVER it to her. Ahhh... no... I don't think so, but you can come here and pick it up. I let her know that it was the NICEST ring that I had found with my metal detector so far. We set up a time for her to pick it up and I asked for only ONE thing. I asked if she would be so kind to bring her digital camera (I didn't have one then) and take a picture of it for me so I could send it to my brother (Mike in Virginia Beach) to show him "the one that got away." I don't think that was too much to ask. She came over, actually TOOK the pictures and my email address, semi-thanked me (I could just tell that she thought I was a NERD for being into my hobby) and was on her way. Before she left, I made it clear that I really was looking forward to getting the picture of the ring. Can you guess what happened? She never sent the picture. I waited three days, then called her (yes, at work) and asked her if she sent it. "No... not yet." I asked if she could. "Sure... Will do." Never did. I called her once more after that, but she wasn't very nice, so I just gave up. I didn't want to become a stalker. But I was NOT very happy with the way she handled it.

That's just one story.

I've returned many things over the years and VERY RARELY - if ever - have I gotten a thank you. Never a thank you note or acknowlegement when I've gone to the expense and hassle of mailing things to people. Hopefully someone down the road will restore my belief that it's worth it to go out of our way to return things to people. I'm sure I'll keep on returning things to people because I've always been a believer in returning things when you can, but I am starting to understand why some people don't.

Stacey

 

[Magicman]

Yes I would like my item returned, however I would ensure that and item like that would have a name and also insured. If I found something like that, I would keep it, however if there was a lost and found article/poster (or a name inside like mine and my wife, exactly each other's name) and offered a reward then I would call.

I found a wallet at the beach the other day, in the water buried in the sand. It had credit card, IDs and tons more. I sent it to the person and I got an e-mail today thanking me and offering a reward. I said no thanks to the reward and said I would hope someone would return my wallet. There are some good people out there.

I am a bit miffed about the police saying they don't think the girl meant to steal it (she didn't go into their car and take it) it was in the parking lot. SO when I pick up a penny or a nickel in the parking lot I am stealing???? The next thing that bothered me is the police took time to look at the videos then track down the little girl and go to their house? Then why don't they do that when I lose $50 in the parking lot? Of course it maybe the way the reporter wrote the story and that isn't exactly the way it happened and the police were misquoted and Wal-Mart assisted and gave the information. (should of left it in the parking lot and got run over)

 

[Kipper]

All I can say is my experiences with returning rings have all been pleasant. It may not always be that way, but I hope I would continue to be an ambassador for the hobby by returnig things when I can. I once had a little girl approach me while I was detercting, maybe 9-10 years old. She asked me if I could find her ring she had just lost doing cart wheels. I said I sure would try. Long story short I found the little silver unicorn ring and she was elated. She thanked me and then went and told her dad about the nice guy who found her ring. He came over and shook my hand in appreciation. Makes me want to keep on doing it. To each his own though. Kip...

 

[gmanlight]

I read last year i think of a mdetector finding a Stanley cup hockey ring and got a 10,000.00 reward a reporter asked

of his finds he said he found a 50,000.00 diamond ring and got a 50.00 reward

A class ring is one thing but dont u think insurance paid off that 50,000.00 ring already

If u want to test the honesty of a owner tell them u will return it to his insurance co office

 

[Arkie John]

Let's see...how far would that put me ahead this season.....hmmmm.

If the "tracked me down" it would cost them, say, the price of a new Excal II to get that puppy back, you can bet on THAT!

aj

 

[treasurefiend]

I found 2 gold rings so far. I spend my spare time detecting and I invest what little spare money I can on my gear, the way I see it, its mine. If people want to return stuff, there is nothing wrong with that, they found it so they can do whatever they want with it.

 

[Stacey in West Palm Beach]

... and Palm Beach County's NBC affliliate, WPTV Channel 5 ran a brief story showing the video footage of the parking lot and the girl picking up the ring. What is questionable to me is that THIS TIME the story claims that the 6-year-old gave it to the 12-year-old who "RETURNED THE RING to its rightful owner." No mention of the police tracking down the owner of the truck the little girl got into. No mention of them telling the father that he had in his possession this $9.000 ring that belonged to the woman who CARELESSLY LOST IT only ONE MONTH after her engagement. No mention of the policeman's comment that IRKED a few of us that he didn't think the little girl "meant to steal the ring." No, this was a feel-good-story about a lucky woman whose HONKER of a diamond ring was lost - then found - then willingly returned by a 12-year-old.

Curiously, one thing seemed to be consistent with the newspaper version, though .....

Once again, there was no mention of any kind of reward for the little girl(s) or the family that returned it. Also, no mention or footage of the woman gushing her appreciation/happiness to the person who returned it.

Perhaps all the news media who have been covering this story just failed to mention that this woman expressed any appreciation or thanks to the family who were tracked down by the police and, as far as I can tell, were told that they had to return the ring.

I don't know, but if I were writing a human interest story like this - IF the woman offered a reward, a thank you to the person(s) who found it or a hug, I would have made damn sure that I got a picture of that and highlighted that in the story.

I may be wrong, but I strongly suspect that this woman is another of those who have a "sense of entitlement" who don't feel that they need to adequately express their apprecation to others who go out of their way for their fellow man.

Sorry. Nice, sweet, mild-mannered Stacey in West Palm Beach has a pet peeve and people not expressing appreciation for WHATEVER it may be is one of them.

Stacey

 

[tonyweston]

Hi Stacey,
Im sure that like so many hunters out there I like to give a good cred for our hobby by helping the general public ! BUT it often p%$

 

[scubadetector]

reward. We will never know. I have returned 12 rings so far and I have a lot more to return. Sometimes I get nothing for them but I do get satisfaction of returning them. Sometimes our rewards are not monitary or tangable BUT, I believe I am a better person for doing what I do.

Everybody has their own opinion on this subject and some are like me and others keep everything. What is right? Don't ask me to judge and I won't ask the people that keep all. As long as we respect each others views we get along.