Stacey Knutson worked as a waitress at the Fryn’ Pan in Moorhead, Minnesota where she delivered service with a smile as she picked up filthy napkins, broken crayons, and dirty dishes. One day a wonderful thing happened to her. One of her female customers gave her a box that contained wads of money totaling $12,000.

She did the right thing and reported the money to the police. They took the money and told her to wait 90 days before she could claim what she feels is her tip. Now the police are saying that they are holding on to the stash of cash because it smells like marijuana and is being used in a drug investigation.

So what if it smelled like Marijuana! A University of Massachusetts-led study released in 2009 found that approximately 90 percent of U.S. paper money contained traces of cocaine.

Knutson feels her good deed was punished and has filed a lawsuit in Clay County District Court.

The mother of five children says she desperately needs the money and her attorney, Craig Richie, thinks it is a crying shame, “The thing that’s sad about it is here’s somebody who truly needs this gift … and now the government is getting in the way of it.”

Instead of the $12,000 tip authorities gave her a $1,000 reward.

So much for the old adage “honesty is the best policy.”

Would you be satisfied with the $1,000 reward if you were Knutson.