Honesty’s Its Own Reward--and Maybe More

Honesty is its own reward, that’s true. But for a Torrance resident who turned over to police more than $24,000 in suspected drug money that he found on the street, the reward may be a bit more substantial.

Sgt. Ron Traber said Terrance Walker found the money near his car as he was on his way to work Thursday. He spotted a container, looked inside, found the loot and notified police.

Traber said police feel there is a “very good likelihood” that the money was part of a drug deal. “We brought in a dog trained to detect narcotics,” he said, and the dog reacted to the package. “What that suggests to us is, whoever handled the money also handled drugs.”

Asked what would happen to the money, Traber said he would like to see Walker get it.

“That’s fantastic when you have somebody in the community who’s honest enough to turn in a large sum of money,” said Traber. “It’s unbelievable.”

Walker could not be reached for comment.

Authorities will hang onto the cash for at least 120 days, in case the rightful owner shows up. But, given suspicions that drugs are involved, Traber said he did not think the owner would show up any time soon.

“I can’t see anybody coming up and saying, ‘Oh yes, I’m a dope dealer and that’s my money.’ ”