A thief returned items and left an apology note, said Kentucky authorities.
CNN  — 

A Kentucky sheriff wants to remind regretful thieves that even if they return stuff they steal, they’ve still committed a crime.

Such a scenario played out this week in the capital, Frankfort, the sheriff says.

The story began on Sunday night, when a man stole a pontoon boat from the Frankfort Boat Club, Franklin County Sheriff Pat Melton said. The man took the boat down the river to pick up three friends, and the group boated back to the marina and broke into a few houseboats, stealing a flat-screen TV, some bottles of liquor and other items, according to the sheriff.

They then left the pontoon and marina.

Surveillance video captured images of one of the alleged thieves, and the sheriff’s department – assisting Frankfort police – posted the images on its Facebook page on Monday at the request of the boat’s commodore.

That’s when things got unusual.

According to the sheriff, at least one of the thieves went back to the marina on Monday night and returned all of the stolen items, undamaged, along with an apology note.

The note read, “I am very sorry. I do not know why I did it in the first place. It’s way out of my character. That is not what kind of person I am. I do not even remember doing it. I am so sorry. I know this does not make it ok, but it is your stuff, not mine. Again, I am very sorry.”

Melton says that while returning the goods and writing an apology might help the offender in court, authorities still were following leads. No arrests had been made by Wednesday evening.

“The intent was there, and they still committed a crime,” Melton said.