EUFALA, Okla. (AP) - Brandon Jameson was fishing with his family Saturday morning on Lake Eufaula - trying out his brand new bait caster - when he felt a tug at the end of his line.
“I thought I had a fish so I started to reel it in,” the 12-year-old tells the McAlester News-Capital (https://bit.ly/1PHFSJ1 ).
But as Brandon pulled in his catch from the waters near Crowder, he looked down and realized he didn’t have a fish on the line after all. Instead, it was a billfold hanging from his hook.
“I caught a wallet!” Jameson yelled to his mom and dad, Rachel and Body Jameson.
The Jamesons immediately called law enforcement to report Brandon’s catch.
Four weeks earlier, McAlester area resident Lance Rollins was fishing from his fishing boat on Lake Eufaula, near Crowder, when he realized his wallet was missing.
The billfold contained gift cards, credit cards and some cash.
“I was fishing about a month ago and I was careless,” Rollins said. “I had my wallet in my pullover hoodie. I took it off when I was out there fishing and I didn’t realize at that time I’d lost it. I didn’t realize until I got back to the boat ramp that I didn’t have my wallet and I just gave up on it.”
Rollins quickly signed off on the fact that the wallet was lost forever. He went about replacing the credit cards and his drivers license in the coming weeks.
He said he was shocked when, on Saturday morning, he received a visitor while working at his job at the McAlester Regional Wellness Center. The visitor was a law enforcement officer who was there to return his muddy wallet with all the credit cards and soggy cash still inside.
The officer provided Rollins with the name of the boy who caught the wallet on the lake, along with the names of the boy’s parents.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Rollins said.
Rollins called the Jamesons and asked them to stop by his place of work. When the Jamesons arrived at the wellness center Rollins gave them a big thank you along with the soggy cash from the wallet.
“An outstanding young man and outstanding parents,” Rollins said. “A lot of people wouldn’t do that. A lot of people would have never turned it in intact with all the money in it. Gift cards. It’s pretty neat. They are going to get the money.”
Body Jameson said there was never any question as to what they should do about the wallet. Rachel Jameson added “we were obviously going to try to do the right thing and teach him (our son) to do the right thing, too.”
Brandon Jameson said he was glad to help.
“It feels good to do the right thing,” Brandon Jameson said.
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Information from: McAlester News-Capital, https://www.mcalesternews.com
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