Police Worker Charged With Theft

A South Pasadena police employee has been charged with stealing money that was turned in to the department by good Samaritans who found it lying in the street, authorities said Friday.

Ralph Viscuso, an owner of JJ Steakhouse in Pasadena, had placed a bag with restaurant receipts on top of his car and forgotten about it. As he drove, the bag fell off and was discovered by two employees of the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

They turned it in to Erik Ryan Wanson of Yorba Linda at the front desk of the South Pasadena Police Department. The two didn’t mention that they had counted the contents and found it to contain about $2,180 plus checks and change, police said.

Wanson, 19, later counted the money in front of a sergeant and an officer, and logged it as containing $1,061 in cash plus checks and coins, police said.

When the restaurateur claimed his money, he said more than $2,000 had been in the bag. After calling the men who found the money and learning that they had counted much more cash, Viscuso filed a complaint April 20 with the department.

Authorities allege that Wanson took $1,065 from the bag. He is charged with misdemeanor grand theft, officials said. His attorney was not available for comment.

Police Chief Michael Berkow said the city has given Viscuso a check for $1,065 and an apology.