N.C. Department of Correction--Correction News--March 1998

Helping Out Natural for Polk Officer

BUTNER - Correction Officer William Twitty does not believe in the old saying, "finders keepers." When Twitty finds something, he quickly returns the item to its rightful owner - even when that item is a bag containing $45,000 in cash.

Twitty, a member of the second-shift custody staff at Polk Youth Institution, was recently shopping near the First Union Bank in the Tower Shopping Center in Raleigh when he heard the bank alarm go off. "I heard the alarm go off and saw a man run out of the bank carrying a burgundy book bag," Twitty said. "Evidently, the people at the bank had also pushed the silent alarm because, within seconds, the parking lot was swarming with police." The police officers caught the bank robber, but Twitty said he noticed that the man was no longer carrying the book bag. So instead of continuing his shopping, Twitty searched the parking lot and found the book bag cantaining $45,000 hidden behind some parked cars. Twitty immediately turned the money over to a Raleigh police officer.

Bank officials thanked Twitty for his invaluable assistance in getting the money back promptly and intact.

Twitty said helping out in situations such as this just comes naturally to him. He said several years ago he came upon a car wreck and recognized the car as one belonging to a man he used to work for. Emergency officials had taken the passengers to the hospital, but they had left his former boss’s checkbook and the wife’s purse sitting in the car. Twitty retrieved the items and took them to the family.

"It’s just the natural thing for me to do," he said. u

NC DOC Correction News- March 1998
NC Department of Correction News
NC Department of Correction Homepage