SecondChance

Decided to hunt public walk-in this morning. Took my home made deer/deke cart, 2 bags of dekes, 2 robos, gear and off I go. Get there and head out about 400 yds from parking lot, cross water supply channel and out into bay to marked blind, leaving my cart on backside/top of levee.
About 8am, notice 3 people, one older, 2 younger teens, heading back to parking lot and re-stacking their cart with their gear, I pay not much mind. About 11am, decide to pack out and head home to get ready for duty this afternoon.

Get gear up and over to the levee, about 100yds through waist deep water and shin deep mud, and find my cart is gone!!!!!!! I just buck up and hump out my gear and call Sheriffs Dept. when I am back at truck. The Detective arrives and I tell him what transpired and show him the sign-in sheet and give him a run down of who hunted where and what blind and when they left. He then looked at the list and knew 2 of the kids and the other person was one of the kids dad!!!!!!!!!!!
He then took some pics and took off. I get home and at 1345hrs he calls me and states that he found my cart!!!! He went to the dads house and spoke to the dad first and he said they found the cart and it had been there forever and was going to fix it up and use it. He then took the kid and the kid squealed like a whipped school girl!!!!!!! The kid said that the dad said that being no one was using it or by it, finders keepers!!!!!
The Det. then asked where the cart was and he said it was over at the other kids house and he was at a family reunion with his parents. The kid gave up the cell number as well. The Det. then called it and the kid answered and was told what had transpired. He was crying!!!! He was told that by he was to bring the cart back to the Sheriffs Dept. by no later than noon the next day and to receive and written receipt for to ackowledge that he both had it and that he did deliver it to the dept. We will see. The Det. is trying to decide whether or not press charges for theft over $300 for the cart was all 6160 Aircraft Alum and it has over 30 feet worth. That and all the welding on top of that. We shall see!!!!
****Update******
The Sheriffs Dept called me this afternoon and the father in the trio brought the cart back to them and said he hopes I am happy!!!!!!!!! What an azzmunch!!! I told the Det. that whatever he decides to do with this to let me know if he needs anything from me and I will do whatever I can. Hope this teaches the youngsters to not take anything from no one unless it is given to you by the owner!!!!