Couple forgives suspect who burglarized them

Deepa Bharath

COSTA MESA -- Two years ago, couple Eric Floyd and Pam Winchester came

back from work to find their Eastside home burglarized.

The thieves had taken Floyd’s Yamaha guitar and his Toshiba laptop

computer, on which he saved much of his office work.

“We felt violated,” Floyd said. “The items were not all that valuable,

but we were surprised this incident happened here because this is a nice

neighborhood and we had never heard of anything like this happen here.”

Last Friday, when Winchester returned home from work, she saw the

stolen items -- the guitar minus the strings, but with the stand, and the

laptop with its mouse and adapter -- sitting on her doorstep.

With the returned items was a note scrawled on a ruled sheet of paper.

Signed “Anonymous Amends Maker,” the letter expressed the writer’s

remorse for his or her actions.

“It brought tears to my eyes,” Winchester said. “It was kind of

emotional. We had even forgotten about our stuff. It’s been so long. But

the important thing is this person had changed his or her whole life and

had moved on to the right path.”

The note said its writer broke into the house and stole the items with

friends.

“I’m now at a point in my life where I feel I need to make amends for

the terrible things I have done,” the letter read, “so . . . I’ve decided

to return these items.

“If I knew how to make up for what I did, I would do it in a

heartbeat, but I don’t. This is all I know to do. Hopefully, you can

understand. Thank you, and I’m so sorry.”

Floyd said he was angry when he was victimized two years ago.

“You wonder who does something like this,” he said. “Was it someone we

knew? Was it a crime of opportunity? We moved here because it’s a safe

neighborhood.”

But now, those bitter feelings have been magically erased, Floyd said.

“It’s not even getting the stuff back,” he said. “It’s the note. You

have to admire the way they confronted their lives and turned their lives

around.”

Finding stolen property returned at one’s doorstep is extremely rare,

said Costa Mesa Police Lt. Dale Birney.

“Usually, the way we recover property is when we arrest the person

responsible,” he said. “This is surprising. It just doesn’t happen.”

Both Floyd and Winchester said they would not press charges against

the offender even if they found out in the future who he or she is.

Floyd said he would not, however, want to meet that person. But

Winchester said “that would be nice.”

“It would give me a sense of closure,” she said. “We could tell that

person we have forgiven them. They don’t know how we feel.”

The couple has spent the last few days wondering who this person is

and why he or she did what he or she did, Floyd said.

“But whatever it is, they are on the right track,” he said. “More

power to them. And we hope they keep going.”

* Deepa Bharath covers public safety and courts. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .