McKinney Mail Carrier Praised For Reporting Money Flying Around On Service Road; It Totaled $10K In Cash

A mail carrier in McKinney is being praised. This comes following her actions after seeing $10,000 in cash on the side of the road.

For many months, authorities couldn’t determine who the money belonged to. However, now, the owner has been found.

Back on September 5, Carolyn Norton had been traveling to work at the post office. She then saw hundreds of $20 bills all over the service road to North Central Expressway.

Norton dialed 911 to report the money that she was seeing flying around.

“That is an odd situation. However, I don’t think it is a police matter. Do you see someone assaulted or injured?” the 911 operator responded.

“I don’t think she understood the magnitude of what I was saying. I was tired or running after it and didn’t want other people to get it if they weren’t going to turn it in…,” Norton stated.

When authorities arrived on the scene, they gathered 483 $20 bills with other bills, as well. It equalled $9,988.

An officer’s body cam recording depicted them telling Norton to keep the money since it was abandoned property.

Norton had assisted in collecting $411 prior to police arriving.

“I would not keep one dime because I would want someone to do that for me,” she later reported.

No one had reported missing the money until December when McKinney Police began to investigate the case again.

Authorities had a receipt naming Anthony Jablonski and searched through database records to locate one that connected him to a 1965 Chevrolet Chevelle. It had been in a wreck early that morning in September.

The tow yard linked police with Jablonski’s power of attorney, his pastor, Raymond Bell.

Bell reported that Jablonski is a Vietnam veteran who is homeless and resided in his Chevelle. A semi had hit him from behind.

It isn’t known when the cash flew away as the wreck had happened many hours prior to Carolyn Norton discovering it.

“She did what was right. That is one in a thousand,” Bell said.

“It made my heart happy that they found the person,” Norton commented.

Bell added that Jablonski is still healing from the accident. He is no longer homeless but in a nursing home.