Woman orders lunch, mistakenly gets handed bag of cash at drive-thru, Georgia cops say

A Georgia woman hit the fast-food jackpot when she ordered a sandwich and later discovered it was served on a crisp bed of cash.

It happened Wednesday, Sept. 14, in Jackson, 50 miles southeast of Atlanta, and Joann Oliver’s next move caught police off guard.

“Jackson police were called to Mrs. Oliver’s workplace,” the police department said in a Facebook post.

“Mrs. Oliver had (gone) to a local restaurant (drive-thru) on her lunch break and returned to work to enjoy her lunch. When she opened her lunch, and removed her sandwich, she was surprised to find $543.10 in cash under her sandwich.”

An investigation discovered one of the restaurant’s employees had accidentally put that day’s bank deposit in Oliver’s sandwich bag as she sat at the drive-thru.

“Not only did Mrs. Oliver do the right thing but she saved the manager’s job,” police said.

“Mrs. Oliver thank you for reminding us that we have amazing citizens in Jackson and its people like you that make us great! ... Character and integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking!”

Oliver told station WSB-TV it was a Kentucky Fried Chicken, and the restaurant refunded her money for the meal — reportedly a chicken sandwich and fries — and offered her another meal for free.

The police department’s Facebook post prompted a lot of praise for Oliver, including some who wondered if they would have been as honest.

“Thank you for giving a lot of people the hope that honesty and integrity is still alive and well,” one commenter posted on the department’s Facebook page.

This story was originally published September 15, 2022 at 7:20 AM with the headline "Woman orders lunch, mistakenly gets handed bag of cash at drive-thru, Georgia cops say."