Tow Truck Driver Not Charged: Elmhurst Police

ELMHURST, IL — A tow truck driver picked up a lost wallet at an Elmhurst dealership last month and hid it in his pocket, only returning it when police called him, according to a report. Thanks to the wallet's owner, the man will not be charged, police said.

Surveillance footage at Elmhurst Toyota, 440 W. Lake St., showed a customer unknowingly dropping his wallet and the tow truck driver picking it up moments later, the police report said.

Elmhurst Patch obtained the full report on the matter through a public records request. On the morning of Dec. 30, the wallet's owner paid for work done to his car and then left the building. Once he returned to his car, he was unable to find his wallet. After fully checking his car, he went back to the service desk, where a clerk said it had not been returned.

The victim reported his wallet contained credit cards and $500 in cash. When police were called, an officer reviewed surveillance footage with the service manager. The victim was seen dropping his wallet and continuing to his car.

Meanwhile, a man is seen leaving his white tow truck and walking past the victim, who had already dropped the wallet, police said. The driver walks over to the wallet, examines it for a moment and then conceals it in one of his pockets, the report said. The driver goes into the men's restroom and then waited until a Toyota Sienna pulls up near the west entry doors. The driver gets his truck, retrieves the car and leaves.

The police were able to identify the tow truck company that hired the driver. When an officer contacted the driver, the man said he knew he was being called because he had someone else's wallet.

The driver admitted to picking up the wallet and looking at the driver's license, saying he planned to hold onto the wallet and contact the owner after he was finished with work later that day, the report said. He said he did not think to turn in the wallet to Toyota employees. He assured police that all the contents were still inside.

The driver and wallet owner went to the police station, where they were kept in separate rooms to avoid any possible conflict. The owner confirmed everything was in the wallet and that he would not file a complaint.

The officer told the driver that the owner was not pursuing charges. The driver was advised to contact a business' employees or police if he encountered lost property.

The driver apologized for the misunderstanding and said he had not been entirely sure how to handle the situation, the report said.