Turns it in, saving family-owned restaurant thousands
Chief Ryan presents Jasper Dopman and his father, Erik, with Outstanding Citizenship Awards. (APD photo)
A 6-year-old Arlington boy drew praise from Chief Frederick Ryan and town police for doing the right thing after he found what turned out to be a bank bag containing $2,000 in cash on the ground near a school.
Jasper Dopman was walking on Medford Street with his father, Erik, on April 18, when he spotted a cloth bag on the ground. Jasper pointed out the object to his father, and they soon learned that they had found a bag containing cash and deposit slips from Leader Bank.
Erik called the Arlington Police Department and turned the bag in. An investigation determined that the money belonged to Tenoch Mexican Food Corp., which has restaurants in Medford, Somerville and Boston. Bank officials led Arlington Police to Guadalupe Alvarez, an employee at the Medford location, who confirmed that she had lost the bag earlier. The Police Department returned the missing money to the family-owned restaurant.
Jasper and Erik visited the Police Department on April 27, where they were introduced to Alvarez and restaurant owner Alvaro Sandoval. The Dopmans were presented with Outstanding Citizen Awards by the Arlington Police Department and gifts from Tenoch Mexican Food Corp.
Alvaro Sandoval, owner, Tenoch Mexican Food Corp.; Guadalupe Alvarez. (APD photos)
“This situation shows the very definition of good citizenship. Jasper and his dad, Erik, demonstrated what it means to be part of a community by returning missing money to its rightful owner, and Erik imparted an extremely valuable lesson on his son,” Ryan said in an April 28 news release.
“It is hard to imagine the panic and fear that sets in when someone loses a large amount of money for their employer. Jasper and Erik did the right thing, and I commend their actions in returning the missing money.”
As an interesting side note: Jasper is a first grader at Thompson Elementary School, and Sandoval’s son attends the same school.
This news announcement was published Friday, April 28, 2017.
