Sorry Robber Returns Cash With Apology

A sorry robber has returned the cash he stole from a Eureka, California, gas station and issued an apology.

Cyle Warren Abbott, Jr., 23, told officers he needed cash so he could leave town for a fresh start. However, on his way out, he realized what a big mistake he was making and decided to call the whole thing off.

Abbott initially entered the gas station and demanded cash while brandishing what appeared to be a semi-automatic handgun. The clerk complied with Abbott’s demands, and he also snatched two bottles of beer for the trip.

About three hours later, Fox News reports, he returned, “giving back most of the cash and saying he was sorry.”

The weapon, which was not recovered, is a BB gun, Abbott claims. He was booked and remains in jail with the order for a $50,000 bail.

In a separate report from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, Abbott said he “tossed [the BB gun] in a grassy area on the west side of California Street near West Clark Street while fleeing the gas station,” the site reports, adding, “Police said he took officers to the spot where he tossed the gun, but it could not be located.”

The Democrat has Abbott being booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility and arrested on suspicion of robbery and a probation violation. They also confirmed the $50,000 bail amount and said that anyone with information concerning the incident, including the location of the pistol, should report their findings to the Eureka Police Department.

While criminals can have a change of heart similar to Abbott, it’s exceedingly rare. In fact, the most similar case to this in our database involved money stolen from an elderly widow, but in that instance, it wasn’t the thief who returned the funds but his young son.

In that case, Christian Lunsford, the robber’s 15-year-old son, tried to undo the wrong his father had done. He asked to meet the woman at the First Baptist Church.

And he did. He apologized and went beyond that, giving Herndon $250 his father had recently given him for a trip.

The teen not only returned the money, doing the right thing, but he also said he was not surprised to learn his dad was responsible for her mugging.

“When I found out this whole situation, I didn’t know if it was hers or his or how — I just knew I needed to give the money to her.”

In the case of the sorry robber in Eureka, do you think he should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law or shown leniency?

[Image via ShutterStock]