Good Samaritan returns wallet with $10,000 cash inside

An unknown good Samaritan turned in to city officials a wallet containing $10,000, which he found on a Main Beach bench Saturday.

A Newport Coast man had gone to a local bank that day and withdrawn the money to pay a contractor for work being done on a restaurant he is about to open in Laguna Beach.

He then sat on the bench, drank coffee and made calls, he told police, and left the bench without his wallet around 1:15 p.m. He told police he was distracted and forgot it.

Police say a short time later the good Samaritan found the wallet and gave it to Laguna Beach lifeguards, who then contacted police due to the large amount of money inside.

Officer Matt Meadows found a Florida driver's license inside the wallet and police were able to track down a phone number for the owner.

At 2:15 p.m., police called the man, who was shocked to discover the wallet had been returned and no money had been taken.

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—Joanna Clay

Twitter: @joannaclay