A Wisconsin fisherman made an unusual catch recently when he reeled in a wallet that had been stolen from a local man three years ago.
Joshua Woods, 31, of La Crosse, Wis., was confused when his line snagged what appeared to be an old sock.
"I was dragging it in and I wasn't even sure what it was at first," Woods told GoodMorningAmerica.com. "It just looked like a dirty old sock, but it had stuff in it. I opened it up and I couldn't even believe it. It was a wallet. Right away I'm thinking, 'Whose wallet is this? Who even puts wallets in socks to begin with?'"
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Woods rummaged through the wallet and found a driver's license and credit cards.
"The ID was still in it, and I knew it was a La Crosse address so I figured it was somebody local, so I should be able to find him," Woods said. "I tried Googling the name and found too many people, but as soon as I posted the information from his ID on Facebook, I had three people messaging me saying, 'I'm friends with him, I know him.' It was easier than I expected."
The wallet belonged to 30-year-old Jesse Gomez, who said his friends alerted him to Woods' Facebook notice. He said his wallet was stolen three years ago while he was at a bar.
"I was DJ'ing a karaoke, and I was stepping away from the booth to get myself another beverage," he told GMA.com. "I set my wallet on the table and went to get the next singer up on the stage. It was less than two minutes, and my wallet was gone. Someone had stolen it."
The thieves reportedly maxed out the credit cards and attempted to steal Gomez's identity. He was able to find them and press charges, but the wallet was never recovered.
Until now.
"He took it upon himself to give the wallet back," Gomez said of Woods' good deed. "It's so weird that someone would find something like that in the river, but I'm glad he did."
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