Stolen Santa returned to Ind. man with $100, note

[December 05, 2011]  UNIONVILLE, Ind. (AP) -- A southern Indiana man has gotten an early Christmas gift: A 16-foot-tall inflatable Santa Claus stolen from his yard has been returned with $100 and a note of apology.

Jason McClaren tells The Herald-Times (http://bit.ly/vPsMkQ) that someone returned the deflated Santa to his Unionville yard early Saturday in a trash bag that also contained the money and note.

He says the anonymous note makes it clear that the person who returned the Santa wasn't the thief who took it and two 6-foot tall penguins this past week. The penguin decorations are still missing.

The typed note states: "Returning your property is the right thing to do, and apologies for the thief who took it in the first place."

McClaren says he plans to use the $100 to buy more decorations.

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Information from: The Herald Times, http://www.heraldtimesonline.com/

[Associated Press]

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