10/12/2026
As many of you know, two young men stole from my store on October 7th. Thanks to your help, we were able to identify one of them, and we're currently waiting for him to reach out or for the police to pick him up.
The other young man is pictured in this post.
He is fifteen years old. He came in with an older friend last Wednesday and helped take two bottles of liquor. The surveillance image in the lower corner shows him on that day. The larger photo, taken this past Friday with Sgt. Dickinson and me, tells a very different story.
This teenager—not even old enough to drive—came back into the store on his own Friday to make things right.
I want to recognize the sheer courage and backbone it takes for a kid his age to make that choice and face the music. He made a bad decision to steal, but after talking with him, I could see plainly that he is not a bad kid. He’s not foolish, and he is far from beyond redemption.
Did he make a huge mistake? Absolutely.
Does he need to learn a hard lesson? Yes.
Does he still have to face the consequences? Of course.
I did some dumb s**t in my teen years that could have landed me in serious trouble; most of us did. Yet this kid showed a level of accountability that I don't know if I could have mustered at fifteen—or even at fifty. He messed up, owned it, and took it on the chin.
I barely know him, but I respect the hell out of him for walking back through our doors to own his actions. My sincere hope is that this marks the turning point—the first in a long line of better choices—and that years from now he can look back, laugh, and say, "Man, I'm glad those days are far behind me."
From my lips to God's ears.
— Bryan
