Vietnam veteran gets his wallet returned after it's allegedly stolen

A Vietnam veteran in Florida is thankful to have his wallet back after he accidentally left it in the produce section of a grocery store last month.

David Shupe told WFOR: "She said, 'I have your billfold.' And my heart jumped and she handed it to me and I immediately took out the angel. And I was happy."

'The angel' that David Shupe's talking about is an angel pin his grandmother gifted to him before he shipped off to serve in the Vietnam War.

Even more remarkable? All of the $3,000 in cash Shupe was carrying in his wallet at the time he lost it was still inside. He'd been planning to send the money to his pregnant daughter.

How did this happy ending come about?

On Thursday, the Miami-Dade Police Department released surveillance video from the Miami Publix Supermarket showing a woman picking up David Shupe's wallet after he set it down.

Detective Romelio Martinez told WSVN: "The subject came by the same location as the wallet, picked it up, then immediately went to the cashier to pay for her groceries and then left the store with Mr. Shupe's wallet."

The police department had asked for any tips regarding the alleged theft on its Facebook page.

After local media played the surveillance video on its newscasts, the woman in the video did return the wallet to Shupe, telling him she had been trying to get in touch with him for a while.

The chances of getting your stolen wallet back are slim, but the website Lifehacker reported back in 2010 there are some ways to increase your odds.

It reported that researchers in Scotland discovered stolen wallets containing baby pictures were the most often returned. Wallets containing pictures of pets and of family were also returned more often than those without any images inside at all.

Slipping some pictures of your family inside your wallet may be a good idea, you know, just in case. Shupe says he has no plans to press charges against the woman.

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