Frederick Ryan, Chief of Police
112 Mystic St.
Arlington, MA 02474
For Immediate Release
Friday, April 28, 2017
Contact: Captain Richard Flynn, PIO
Office: 781-316-3907
Cell: 781-844-1224
Email: rflynn@town.arlington.ma.us
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Arlington Police Recognize 6-Year-Old Boy and His Father for Turning in Bank Bag Containing Family-Owned Restaurant’s Money
Note to journalists: Photos may be used freely, but the Dopman family is not available for further interviews.
ARLINGTON — Chief Frederick Ryan and the Arlington Police Department are praising a 6-year-old boy 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.
Arlington resident Jasper Dopman was walking on Medford Street with his father, Erik, on Tuesday, 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 Leader Bank cash bag. The bag contained cash and deposit slips from the 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 restaurant locations 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 Arlington 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.
“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,” Chief Ryan said. “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 in Arlington. Sandoval’s son attends the same school.
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