“I made a dumb mistake in the moment,” the thief said in their apology note
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A baby Jesus figurine was returned to a Colorado nativity scene where it was stolen from just days before Christmas — and an apology note was left behind.
The statuette was taken from the Old Town Square nativity scene on Sunday, Dec. 15, according to a social media post shared by the Fort Collins Police.
The department shared a photo of the “Grinch” they were looking to catch for trying “to ruin Christmas” with their antics. The person captured on camera appeared to be holding the baby Jesus in both hands while leaving the scene.
Four days later, the figurine was “anonymously dropped off at Poudre Fire Authority Station #1 in Fort Collins,” the police said. They also shared an image of the letter left behind, presumably by the person who took the statuette in the first place.
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“I am really sorry,” the person wrote. “I made a dumb mistake in the moment. It won’t happen again.”
In photos released by the police, firefighters posed with the baby Jesus figurine, which did not appear damaged. They added that “no further information has been obtained about the person who swiped the statuette.”
Fort Collins Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
