Police identify 'grandmother' who took $100 bill from shopper

WARWICK, R.I. (WJAR) — The Warwick Police Department has identified a woman who was seen picking up a $100 bill after another woman dropped it on the floor at Burlington.

Police said in a Facebook post Saturday that the original post was shared and commented on around 1,000 times. They said the investigation is ongoing.

Police posted a video of the incident on Facebook Friday afternoon.

"The 2017 Grandmother of the Year Award goes to.......this female observed the victim drop a $100 and within a couple seconds walks over and grabs it off the floor," authorities noted. "She then conceals it in her purse while putting her finger across her mouth to warn a juvenile male to not say anything. His reaction says it all...:0."

The boy appears to widen his eyes and open his mouth in shock.

Many people on NBC 10's Facebook page are asking -- isn't it just a case of "finders, keepers?"

"Are you kidding me, she dropped it. It's her loss they're going to arrest somebody for picking up something that someone dropped," one woman wrote.

But others are saying it's a question of ethics.

"It's setting a bad example for the kid," another viewer wrote.

Police said Rhode Island larceny laws won't protect the move, since the woman knew the who the money belonged to and tried to hide that she picked it up. They said if she had come along and found the $100 bill with no one around, it would be a different case.