Tim Ryan, tryan@wolfrivermedia.com
A 51-year-old town of Pella woman who inadvertently dropped off more than she expected at a Shawano recycling center last week had her lost item returned before she knew it was missing, according to Shawano police.
The item was an envelope with $2,000 that had fallen out of her purse while she was dropping off aluminum cans at Lakeland Industries, 504 Lakeland Road.
The envelope was lost on Sept. 14 and was put in a safe at Shawano County Human Services, which oversees the recycling center, with expectations the woman would return for it.
The envelope was found by pre-vocational specialist Carl Reindl.
When no one had claimed the envelope the next day, human services officials contacted Shawano police.
The only lead authorities had to go on was the name on the check written to the woman in exchange for the aluminum cans she dropped off.
Police Support Services Manager Laura Woldt did a bit of detective work and managed to track down a phone number for the woman, who, Woldt said, was still unaware she had lost it.
Woldt asked if she might have lost an envelope, and the woman asked if it might have had $2,000 in it.
“She was very worked up,” Woldt said.
The money was intended to be a land payment, Woldt said.
The woman declined to be interviewed or to comment for this story.
“We thank the Police Department for helping us,” said Kimmery Weber, operations division manager at human services. “They’re always very helpful and we’re always grateful.”