Thief ‘sorry I hurt you’ by taking phone, but Trenton cops still eye charges

A man who stole a cell phone and then returned is has earned forgiveness from the phone's owner, but police will likely still press charges if they find the individual.

After a work cellphone was stolen from Butch's Welding in East Trenton on Sept. 11, owner Butch Mikos and his sister Lauren Nichole Culliton posted surveillance video on her Facebook page of the theft, according to NJ.com. Her intention, she tells New Jersey 101.5, was to warn other businesses that theft had occurred, not to get the phone back.

Four days later, the phone was throw over a fence around the company's building with a note of apology attached. Culliton says that the phone's SIM card was missing.

"I'm the one who took your phone. I'm in a desperate situation. I'm sorry I hurt you," read the note. "I'm not that type but a situation can lead some to do dumb things." It continued to say the thief was unemployed, "getting right with God again," and had stolen the phone in hopes of selling it for cash.

Culliton is amazed at how quickly the video went viral. "It truly is an amazing story of how social media played a part in this guy's actions after he stole the phone," she said video, adding that the video was shared 5,000 times.

Culliton says she and her brother hope the thief learned a lesson and that her father believes that "everybody deserves a second chance" and do not plan to pursue charge. "We've all been there before," said Culliton.

But Trenton police say they still may file theft charges if the man is caught.