Prosthetic arms returned to victim with apology from alleged suspect

A suspect who still hasn’t come forward is asking for forgiveness. This after stealing a car last week and the expensive prosthetic arms that were inside. Police said the anonymous person had a change of heart but not enough to turn him or herself in. Police think information from the public may have encouraged this person to return the property.

“It sounded like they cared and it was meaningful,” said victim Victor Kraft.

Kraft said getting a note from the supposed suspect was the last thing he expected — especially after everything he has recently gone through. He lost his arm in an accident on his commercial fishing boat last July, changing his life forever. Kraft said he’s still trying to adjust to using his prosthetic arm.

“They were brand new and it’s still real sore for me to even use them and so the whole thing has delayed my recovery,” Kraft said.

Kraft said his wife’s car was stolen in Capitola earlier this month, with the prosthetics inside. Police said the 1995 Toyota 4-runner was found on 30th Avenue on Tuesday with nothing inside. The next day, surveillance video showed a man dropping the arms off at a Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Department service center in Felton. Getting his prosthetic arms back was surprising enough, but seeing a note left behind on the box, was shocking.

“The police department asked me if I wanted to see the note and that they would throw it away if I didn’t want to see it. And I was alright with it, I wanted to see it,” Kraft said.

Kraft said the note, which simply reads “please forgive me,” softens the frustrations he’s felt over the past few weeks.

“Made me uh, made me feel kind of important. So everything was there and I’m grateful for the people who did the right thing,” Kraft said.

A positive ending to a situation Kraft said he thought would turn out much differently. Capitola police took the note in as evidence as well as working with the sheriff’s department to look at surveillance video from Felton — but the suspect has not been identified yet.