OK Woman Gives Thief Choice To Return Wallet, Offers Help

A woman turned the tables on a thief who tried to take her wallet. Instead of turning him in, she gave him a choice to give her the wallet back. And she even offered to help him.

Jessica Eaves says she was just grocery shopping on Friday, when a man reached into her purse and grabbed her wallet when she was not looking. But what he did not expect was for her to go looking for him

"I don't think that he went to the grocery store that day with the idea that he wanted to steal someone's wallet," said Eaves. "I think it was an opportunity, and people are desperate. People are just desperate."

Eaves said she doesn't know what possessed her to track down the man who took her wallet out of her purse while she was going down the lemonade isle. But she feels God had something to do with it.

"And so I kind of skimmed different aisles, and I ended up spotting him in a more crowded aisle," said Eaves. "So I walked toward him and kind of weaved through the carts. And as I did, this scripture of Luke kind of jumped out at me that said if someone hits you on the cheek, turn the other cheek. If someone steals your cloak give them your shirt. So I thought, well, I'll just be nice."

Eaves said she told the man he could either hand the wallet over, or she'd take a picture of him and call the cops. She even offered to buy his groceries.

And it worked.

"He got it out of his hoodie pocket, and just handed it to me," said Eaves. "And I was like ‘oh my gosh!'"

Eaves then posted her experience on Facebook, and that's when one of her friends contacted us to share her act of kindness to this desperate stranger.

"And he apologized over and over," recalled Eaves. "And at the end he said I'm embarrassed, I'm broke I have kids and I'm sorry. And I said Jesus forgives me every single day, And I'm not going to turn you in, I'm not going to call the police. And he told me ‘thank you.'"

Eaves stayed true to her word, and did not turn the man in. And she hopes her act of Christian compassion keeps him from stealing from anyone ever again.

Eaves said she has been thinking about doing mission work with her family. And she said this experience is proof that mission work really can start right here at home.