Nelson and Stella Chen pose with security officer James Latta, who found Mrs. Chen’s lost engagement ring in the parking lot. Photo by Kirk Ross.

By Emily Burns
Staff Writer

Most children taunt each other with the phrase “finders, keepers; losers, weepers” when they find a toy that belongs to another child buried in the sandbox. But as they grow up, not all of them realize that finders shouldn’t always be keepers. James Latta, a security officer at Carr Mill Mall, did.

As he was patrolling the lot in front of Fleet Feet Sports on the afternoon of Jan. 11, Latta noticed something unusual — a diamond ring — lying on the ground between two cars. He moved closer to the ring, studying it carefully, and then picked it up and placed in his pocket before continuing his rounds.

Inside, Nelson and Stella Chen were sipping tea with Bonnie Lau at Weaver Street Market. Lau and Mr. Chen were discussing the ongoing construction of Lau’s new pastry shop, Miel Bon Bons, when Mrs. Chen suddenly realized that her engagement ring was missing from her ring finger.

“All of the sudden, she got panicked, and said, ‘I have to go look for my ring,’” said Lau, whose new Carr Mill shop is slated to open in mid-February.

Mr. and Mrs. Chen left the table and frantically retraced their steps to their car.

The Chens, who have been married for 30 years, combed the parking lot, becoming more and more nervous as the minutes passed. They knew that if the ring was in the parking lot, it was likely they would never find it.

While they were searching for the ring, Latta returned to the parking lot. He noticed the couple, and he knew when he saw them that they were looking for something important.

“I approached them and asked if they lost something,” said Latta, who has been a security officer at Carr Mill Mall for about eight months.

The Chens told Latta that the diamond engagement ring Mr. Chen had given his wife more than 30 years ago was missing. Latta asked them to describe the ring before reaching in his pocket and handing Mrs. Chen’s ring to Mr. Chen.

“I said, ‘Sir, take this ring and propose to her like you did 30 years ago,’” Latta said. “She must have hugged me five or six times, and he shook my hand.

“I had no idea what the value was,” Latta said of the ring, which Lau said was valued at $10,000. “I looked at it in terms of what I’d want if it happened to me.

“I just thought it was the right thing to do.”