Sometimes social media can be bad, but sometimes it can help you locate your stolen wallet.

On Tuesday afternoon around 2:30, Detective Kyle Costa of the Dartmouth Police Department posted a picture to the department’s Facebook page in an effort to find the owner of a wallet that had been turned in by another officer. Included in the post was a photo of the wallet and another photo of young Navy man, though they couldn't identify him.

“We don’t always post things like that, but we thought it would be nice if we could try to do something with it,” said Costa. “(The officer who turned it in) asked if we could put in on the Facebook page. It was a special circumstance."

Within about 30 minutes, they had found the man in the photo, and by later that evening, it was back to its rightful owner.

The person in the photograph, Joey Mawhinney of South Dartmouth, said he’d just gotten home when he received a text from his sister's boyfriend about his picture being on the Dartmouth Police Facebook page.

“At first I was like, ‘What the heck is going on here?’” Mawhinney said. “Then I checked my phone again, and a few people had tagged me in the post. I looked at the picture, and it was definitely me.”

He said he didn't remember losing his wallet, but then it clicked.

The wallet had been stolen from his grandfather Manny Garcia’s pickup truck at his Dartmouth home about two years ago. The picture in question was of his 19-year-old self at Navy boot camp in 2007.

Mawhinney immediately contacted the Dartmouth Police Department and then went to retrieve the wallet. In addition to his Navy photo were pictures of his father, aunt, sister and brother.

"They trusted me to take it to him," said Mawhinney of his trip down to the station.

“At night, I had my grandfather come over,” said Mawhinney, noting that he wanted to surprise him with the recent find. “He was shocked. It was in perfect condition.”

Though the money and credit cards were gone, Mawhinney said Garcia was just happy to have the pictures of his family members back.

“He was more concerned with them,” he said. “They hold sentimental value to him.”