Larry Pack (left) presents an unclaimed property check to Sheriff Nelson Croft of the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office during pregame ceremonies before the Wheeling Nailers game Friday at WesBanco Arena. (Photo by Stephanie Elverd)

WHEELING – West Virginia State Treasurer Larry Pack presented unclaimed property check for $8,852.69 to Sheriff Nelson Croft and the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office Friday night at WesBanco Arena, delivering the funds on the ice during pregame ceremonies ahead of the Wheeling Nailers matchup against the Reading Royals.

The presentation was part of a daylong visit to the Northern Panhandle focused on highlighting the impact of West Virginia’s unclaimed property program, which has returned millions of dollars to individuals, businesses and public agencies across the state.

“The big thing we do in the treasurer’s office is we search for unclaimed properties,” Pack said. “We want to bring the unclaimed property back to the rightful owners. When people turn it over to us, our job is then to go out and find the individuals, find the businesses, find the government agencies. That’s how we came to the sheriff’s office.”

Since the start of Fiscal Year 2026 on July 1, 2025, the West Virginia State Treasurer’s Office has returned more than $14.2 million in unclaimed property to rightful owners.

Pack said his office is currently holding a substantial amount of unclaimed funds and is working aggressively to return them.

“We got about $500 million of West Virginians’ money in our accounts and we work really, really hard to reunite that money with its rightful owner,” he said. “It’s all over the state. Last year, we had about $40 million returned and we want to beat that this year.”

Pack also emphasized that public presentations like the one at the arena are designed to raise awareness and encourage residents to search for missing money.

“The reason we do these public presentations is we are trying to drive people to our websites, trying to get people to go put their name and address in and see if they have any money or unclaimed property,” Pack said. “And when you do that, don’t just put your name and address in – put your brother’s and sister’s, your mom’s and dad’s and grandparents’ and just about anybody you can think of. All you have to do is put in a name and address so it’s really, really simple. So just go to the treasurer’s website or call us. We got really good people who are there to help you.”

Earlier in the day, Pack visited Hancock County Board of Education and the Fiesta Tableware Company, returning additional unclaimed property funds.

“We’ve been to the Hancock County Board of Education. We returned some money there — I think they got $19,000 — and also we were up at Homer Laughlin and I think theirs was $30,000,” Pack said. “It’s been a really good day and we are excited to bring this money back to the Northern Panhandle. We also get to meet a lot of good folks along the way and eat a lot of good food.”

Pack added that he planned to make a weekend of his visit.

“We have the hockey game tonight … and tomorrow we are going to do West Liberty basketball,” he said.

Croft said he was surprised to learn the sheriff’s office had unclaimed property waiting to be claimed.

“About a month ago, Mr. Pack’s office called me and said we had unclaimed funds that belonged to the sheriff’s office and would I be willing to accept them and I said ‘absolutely,'” Croft said.

He said he had not realized government agencies could also have unclaimed funds.

“I had no idea that was even a thing for government agencies. I always check my name and my relatives’ name but I never checked for the sheriff’s office,” he said.

As for how the funds will be used, Croft said the money will support the department’s operations and equipment needs.

“This check will go to the general fund of the county to assist in purchasing equipment and taking care of our day-to-day expenses … it could go to a number of things,” Croft said. “We always like to have money in the bank in case we find something we need, so we will probably just ask the commission to hold on to this until it’s necessary to spend.”

Unclaimed property can include forgotten bank accounts, uncashed checks, insurance proceeds, refunds, utility deposits, and insurance payments and other financial assets.

Pack has said the program plays an important role in supporting local communities when recovered funds are returned to school districts, businesses and government agencies.

To check for unclaimed funds, visit the official state database at wvunclaimedproperty.gov. The search is free, and claims can be filed online if funds are found. The West Virginia State Treasurer’s Office can also be contacted at (304) 558-5000 for assistance with unclaimed property inquiries.