Remorseful thief turns himself in

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MT. JULIET, Tenn., Aug. 1 (UPI) -- A remorseful thief in Tennessee said he decided to do the right thing and confessed to breaking into five cars and stealing a truck.

Austin Sparks, 20, walked into the Mt. Juliet Police Department Tuesday morning and admitted his crimes, The (Nashville) Tennessean reported.

"He walked in and told me that he had just stolen a car and it's parked out front," said clerk Kinnie Long. "It was shocking. He even stated that he felt bad for what he had done."

Sparks told police he stole change and a BlackBerry from the five cars, all of which had been left unlocked, and then saw a Ford F-250 with the keys sitting inside.

"Mr. Sparks stated he took possession of the truck keys and went back home," the police report reads. "Approximately 30 minutes later, he went back to the truck and drove off with it."

Before turning himself in, Sparks told police he ate at the Mt. Juliet McDonald's and contemplated his crimes.

"He told us he wanted to stop," said police Sgt. Tyler Chandler, referring to previous car burglaries Sparks admitted to. "He said while he was at the McDonald's, he started thinking about everything he'd done and he decided that he needed to turn himself in. Hopefully, he is now on the right track in life."

Sparks handed all of the stolen property over to police before they booked him into the Wilson County jail.