California man sends Florida newspaper check and apology more than 50 years after rack thefts

LAKELAND, Fla. – Some 54 years after stealing several newspaper racks, a U.S. Navy veteran has sent a letter of apology and a check for $200 to The Ledger of Lakeland, Florida.

Bernard Schermerhorn says he’s followed the rules for most of his 73 years, but caved to peer pressure as a teenager and went along with a friend’s scheme to steal several racks from The Ledger (http://bit.ly/1C0fsMH).

In a Sept. 30 letter to the newspaper, Schermerhorn says they took a handful of change and then dumped the racks.

Schermerhorn, who lives in Le Mesa, California, told the newspaper the check would more than cover the damage and theft of about $10.

Publisher Kevin Drake says he’s sending Schermerhorn a thank-you letter and will donate the money to a children’s charity in Lakeland.

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Information from: The Ledger (Lakeland, Fla.), http://www.theledger.com

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