Michigan thief returns $800 from 1980's convenience store burglary

Thief writes: 'I did a very bad thing'

MIDDLEVILLE, Mich. – A person who claims to have stolen $800 from a Michigan convenience store about 30 years ago has repaid the money in cash anonymously -- with interest.

A letter written by the person who admitted to breaking and enter a Middleville convenience store and stealing about $800 back in the 1980s did not leave a return address or a signature – just a plea for forgiveness.

The letter, in part, reads: "I did a very bad thing that I am ashamed of and have lived with this guilt"

The Barry County Sheriff's Department, as well as WOOD-TV received a copy of the letter.

Bob Baker, the Barry County Undersheriff said, "Inside the letter were 12 one hundred dollar bills."

The sheriff's department tracked down the man who owned the store when the crime was committed. He'll soon have the money he lost 30 years ago back in his wallet. As for the person who wrote the letter, police won't track him down. The statute of limitations of the crime ran out long ago.

Baker said, "From the legal standpoint, the time has gone by, and especially if this has bothered you for 30 years, I think you've suffered enough."