G. Falls man returns found diamond ring

GREAT FALLS (AP)

A Great Falls man who found a $6,000 diamond ring at the mall has returned it to its owner and wouldn't even accept the reward. Chandria Murphy of San Antonio, Texas, was helping her mother at her chair massage business at a Great Falls mall earlier this month. She was getting ready to close the shop Dec. 10 when a last-minute customer arrived. She took off her three-diamond ring and placed it on a table. She usually puts it in her pocket. Murphy finished up and went home before she panicked and realized she didn't have her ring. The set of rings has a total weight of 2.78 carats, with the largest stone being 0.6 carats. She was unable to find the ring the next day and checked with mall security with no luck. Murphy's husband, who is stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, "was mad at first," Murphy said. But he calmed down. "Honey, as long as I have you, it's OK," she said he told her. Jim Baroch was shopping early on Dec. 11 when he found the ring. He reported it to mall security, but held onto it. Apparently the mall security employee Murphy talked to wasn't aware of Baroch's report. Murphy ended up placing a "lost-and-found" ad in the Great Falls Tribune last Wednesday, and Baroch answered. He called Murphy and asked her to describe the ring. Satisfied it was hers, Baroch returned it. He declined the reward offered in the ad, but Murphy did give him a gift certificate for a massage. Murphy' s mo the r was thrilled. "I thought that was so cool," said Christell Engram-Benson. "Only in Montana." On Saturday, Baroch downplayed the honesty he showed by returning the ring. "Why wouldn't you?" He asked. "It was her ring."