Looking at a pair of worn, scuffed shoes, Steffen Bronson saw something strange just underneath the tongue. Reaching slowly into the shoe, he pulled out a wad of cash worth thousands of dollars. His first thought was everything he could have done with the money — a vacation, a new car, full tuition. The list was long, but in the end, he finished his dreaming and turned the money into management.
Bronson, a 28 year old DI volunteer from Provo, did what police say is difficult for most people when he turned the money into his management.
Sgt. Mathew Siufanua said instances like Bronson’s are rare.
“We typically report on money that is stolen,” Siufanua said. “Steffen Bronson made a choice. He could have done so many things with that money, but instead, he turned it into the manager. I felt it was important that we report on someone who stepped up to the plate and hit a home run.”
Siufanua said he felt that after people hear about Bronson’s story, they will follow suit.
“Things like this are inspiring,” Siufanua said. “Doing good is contagious and hopefully people will want to do good as well.”
Bronson gave the money he found to Evelyn Harris, one of the managers at the DI.
“We think it was a very commendable thing for Steffen to do,” Harris said. “It definitely showed a lot of integrity on his part to hand in that kind of money. We are happy for him that he make the right choice and did the right thing.”
Events like Bronson’s may not happen everywhere in Provo, but they are common on BYU campus.
“After the St. Mary’s basketball game on Friday someone turned in a $100 bill,” said Lt. Arnold Lemmon from University Police.
Lt. Lemmon said several years ago, an employee found $10,000 in the library and turned it in.
“An employee was in the ceiling of the library and he found two PVC pipes,” Lemmon said. “At first he thought they were bombs, but inside the pipes was $10,000 in new $100 bills. He turned the money in to the police. The money was never claimed, so it was returned to him.”
Being honest and turning the money in is not an easy decision for everyone.
“I would take the money,” said Molly Meagan Mitchell, a student from Laurinburg, N.C. studying psychology. “When I lose money, I assume God has a purpose for that money. So I would have been OK keeping the money because I don’t take blessings for granted.”
