Last week, a man from South Carolina who had had way too much alcohol was seen on camera stealing a Santa statue from a Greenville restaurant. However, when the offender understood his mistake, the tale had a happy conclusion.
Local media outlets were attracted by the tale of the would-be Grinch, so WSPA-TV reporter Henry Coburn visited Bonjour Main in downtown Greenville to speak with the owner about the theft.
He’s sitting right up there, Mayra Gallo shouted to Coburn during their conversation.
The man responsible for stealing a Santa statue from outside Bonjour Main, a restaurant in downtown Greenville, apologized to the business’ owner Thursday and promised to rectify his choice. https://t.co/vslpNR905m
— KLST TV (@klstnews) December 16, 2022
The thief of good news had indeed returned to the scene of his crime, but this time he was motivated by much higher ideals. The unnamed perpetrator came to Gallo to beg for her pardon less than a day after his crime.
To demonstrate his regret, he also brought the exhibit back with him.
Like any good apologies around the Christmas season, he also brought gifts. Melvin arrived at the business with a dozen roses as an expression of remorse for stealing the priceless Santa figurine.
But Gallo placed a condition before the apology would be accepted. In a recorded interview with Coburn, Melvin must open up, and the thief consented in the spirit of the holiday.
Melvin admitted to Coburn that he had second thoughts about leaving Bonjour Main with St. Nick. “I’m sorry. Really sorry. I know saying sorry doesn’t do anything, but I promise I’ll do better,” he said.
Coburn remarked that the offender had a scared and humiliated expression.
Melvin admitted that he had gone downtown celebrating a friend’s birthday and had ingested way too much wine, as bad judgments have been made ever since the first Christmas. He realized he had simply been distracted when he spotted the treasured Santa.
After the interview, Coburn stated that Melvin felt terrible about the theft and tried to put things right, less than 24 hours later and probably sober. Of course, you should also try to stay out of jail for at least some of the holiday season.
The remorseful robber assured Gallo that he would make good on any losses and work with the establishment to find a solution.
In an act of holiday generosity, Gallo consented to let Melvin work in the establishment. She declared that dropping the charges was her way of forgiving him for confessing his error, and this holiday story had a joyful conclusion.
