Police and numerous victims who had items stolen from their vehicles were stunned when their belongings were returned on Friday along with a written apology.
A gym bag and a note were left on the front porch of a home in the Stevenson Street and Speedvale Avenue area of the city, where the goods had initially been stolen on Wednesday.
Guelph Police Sgt. Doug Pflug reads from the note, "I cannot apologize enough for the childish/teenaged decisions my friends and I made. I regret everything about what I did and I am greatly sorry."
The note goes on to say the thefts were a first-time experience fuelled by alcohol.
The bag and note were left at the home of Allison deVries, who had been one of the victims of the robberies, losing an MP3 player and CD deck from her car.
Her father found it on the front porch as he left for work.
"Actually I was kind of impressed because it shows that people have a heart and some people do stupid things but in the end they can make a good choice."
The bag was turned into police and deVries was among those whose items were returned.
The note continues, Pflug says, with "I speak for myself and my friends when I say we regret what we did and promise to ourselves that we'll never do anything this stupid again."
Police say if the thieves are ever identified, counselling or community service would likely be recommended instead of charges.
Unclaimed items remain at the Guelph Police Station, and those who may be missing property are asked to contact the Guelph Police Property Office and refer to occurrence number 11-42186.
A list is available at: http://www.guelphpolice.com/assets/MediaArchives/August-22nd-2011.pdf
