LAKELAND, Fla. — Some 54 years after stealing several newspaper racks, a U.S. Navy veteran has sent a letter of apology and a check for $200 to The Ledger of Lakeland, Florida.

Bernard Schermerhorn says he’s followed the rules for most of his 73 years, but caved to peer pressure as a teenager and went along with a friend’s scheme to steal several racks from The Ledger.