By Tim Binnall
A dinosaur statue stolen by a sticky-fingered ne'er-do-well in California was recovered by authorities who tracked down the pilfered piece in someone's backyard. The odd case, detailed in an amusingly written social media post from the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, began on October 27th when a local Sinclair gas station reported that the iconic mascot had gone missing from outside their store. A subsequent investigation ultimately led deputies to the suspected culprit. However, while they arrested that individual, the dinosaur itself was nowhere to be found, having been sold to someone who was apparently unaware of the piece's dubious point of origin.
Further investigation by the diligent deputies brought them to a backyard in the city of Stockton, where they found the statue sporting a black bag over its head in a scene resembling a bizarre kidnapping from the Jurassic era. Upon 'freeing' the faux thunder lizard from 'captivity,' cops loaded the eight-foot-long dinosaur onto the back of their pickup truck, where they snapped a few fun photos with the piece to celebrate solving the peculiar case. The sheriff's office indicated that the statue was later returned "to its rightful habitat" in front of the gas station.