Don't Blink

By Brent Reser

Main menu

Skip to primary content
Skip to secondary content
  • Home
  • Bio

Tag Archives: Steven Fields

A $30,000 Fool’s Gift

Posted on March 10, 2015 by brent
Reply

This is a very vivid memory from my childhood. My mom and I went to the bank so I could make a transaction. I had received a $100 bill for my birthday and my mom was letting me keep some of it while also putting some away. I handed the teller my bill and a deposit slip that requested $30 back. Because more bills made me feel better about myself back then, I asked for some dollar bills to be included. She handed me my money in an envelope and we went home.

Upon arriving at our house I had discovered that the teller had accidentally given me the $100 bill back. For whatever reason she made a blunder and instead of having $30 I actually had $129. Confusing a single dollar bill for a Benjamin had netted me an extra $99. The minute my mom saw my lucky break she took me right back to the bank and I handed the embarrassed but appreciative young lady back the $100 bill. My mom had taught me a valuable lesson.

This morning before I left for campus I read a story about an 18-year-old male who woke up one day and realized that $30,000 had been deposited into his account. Not questioning where the money came from he went out and spent it. According to the article he purchased a BMW, clothes, and food. He spent pretty much the whole allotment.

Here is what happened…

The kid’s name is Steven Fields. In his town of Madison County, Georgia, there is an elderly man named Steven Fields as well. The two had never met before. The older gentleman went to his bank to deposit $30,000 he had earned from selling land. The bank teller mistakenly put the funds into the account of the young Steven Fields. Suddenly, “Stevie” was one rich teenager. He went out and blew the money.

The snafu was discovered and Stevie was arrested. Recently he was put on probation for ten months and ordered to pay back every cent of the $30,000. Ouch.

I hate riding the fence, but after having it go through my head many times today I don’t know if I agree with the punishment that was levied against the junior Steven Fields. I had a teacher who was fond of saying “Any error goes in your favor” when it came to grading tests. If she didn’t mark us off on something she should have, we still received credit, even if it was discovered just a short time after the fact. That kid never asked for $30,000 to be put into his account. That is a substantial amount of money for most people, let alone someone who is only 18. He took the good fortune he received from the dumb mistake of someone else and enjoyed it. Can I really blame him?

On the other hand, when a pot of gold like that just ends up on your lap you have to question the situation. That cash obviously didn’t just drop out of the sky. Wouldn’t you make a quick call to your bank?

But when pressed to give my true opinion, I would lean to the side that Steven Fields should not have suffered such consequences. I have to say that I think both the probation and the monumental task of paying the $30,000 back is too harsh. He is being penalized for using resources that the bank placed in his own private account. The fault should rest on the shoulders of the teller, not the recipient of seemingly good fortune.

Even though I side with the kid, I would like to think I would notify the appropriate channels if an outrageously large sum of money randomly ended up in my bank account. After all, my mom did teach me the right thing to do many years ago. But then again, you never know until you are tested…

Don’t Blink.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged $30, 000, Money in wrong account, Steven Fields | Leave a reply

Follow Brent

Follow Brent on FacebookFollow Brent on TwitterFollow Brent on E-mail

All opinions contained in this blog are Brent’s

Subscribe to Don't Blink

Want to know the second that Brent publishes a new post? Supply your e-mail address and the moment new material hits, you will be notified.

Recent Posts

  • Blue Monday
  • Power Outage Thursday Rundown
  • Rediscovering and Appreciating Old Sitcoms
  • What January 12 Means to Me
  • The End of My Life’s Little Instructions Run

Archives

  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
Proudly powered by WordPress
  • FacebookFacebook
  • Facebook