Answering the questions:
1) Why did you take the items from the warp despite knowing you weren't allowed to?
Firstly, to be honest, I don't really know why. It was a mix of "I’m broke," "I’m an idiot," and an extremely poor interpretation of "if you don’t want it, leave it here."...
Being clear, of course being broke or the poor interpretation don't justify anything
2) Why is it important for people to respect the server rules?
It is important, because breaking them won't only hurt the server, in general, but the players that just want to have a good time. Stealing, specifically, attacks them directly, situations in which, at times, they are unable to defend themselves.
3) What have you learned from this experience?
I have learned that:
1 - Despite being "abandoned", the items absolutely aren't free. (I already knew that, just good to remember...)
2 - Taking the easy way will just make the situation worse (Being broke -> Being banned)
3 - Reading the rules correctly is kinda important...