After stealing the sign 30 years ago, the weight on the thief’s conscience finally gave in and it had to be returned.

A "New Smyrna Beach Says No to Drugs" sign stolen in the late 1980s was returned Wednesday with a handwritten apology to the New Smyrna Police Department. The news was posted on police department's  Facebook page Wednesday.

In the note, the thief apologized and included $50 to help with re-installing the sign.

The department said there is “no statute of limitations on a guilty conscience.”

“Apparently the youthful culprit of this mischief learned a valuable lesson and set themselves on a mission to make a wrong they committed, right once again,” the police department posted on Facebook. “I don’t know about you, but seeing such an act of contrition should give us all hope that people can change and can, ‘Do the right thing,’ even if it’s nearly 30 years later.”

Read more at the New Smyrna Police Department Facebook page.

About the Author

Featured

State Rep. Kimberly New, R-Villa Rica, stands in the House of Representatives during Crossover Day at the Capitol in Atlanta on Thursday, March 6, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC