By Tim Binnall
Authorities in Arizona arrested an enterprising individual who was allegedly trying to sell a stolen dinosaur claw worth a staggering $25,000. According to a local media report, the strange criminal case began late last month when someone swiped a pair of the expensive specimens from a display belonging to Eric Miller, who was working as a vendor at the Annual Gem and Mineral Showcase in the city of Tuscon. Upon discovering that the ancient merchandise had gone missing, the distressed owner promptly phoned the police and let other local dealers know about the lost claws, which were sported by a Spinosaurus in Africa long ago, since the hope was that the thief would try and re-sell the pilfered pieces to someone who would appreciate their tremendous value.
Fortunately that suspicion proved to be correct as, a few days after the claws were stolen, a man named Christopher Thomas reached out to Tuscon vendor Adam Aaronson and offered to sell one of the specimens to him. Realizing that the object was one of the Miller's missing pieces, the two collectors set up their own sting operation to bust the accused thief. Offering a "lucrative sum" for the claw, Aaronson convinced the "hesitant" Thomas to meet with his 'buyer,' who was really its original owner. "When I saw it come into the room," Miller recalled, "I was absolutely thrilled." Confirming that, indeed, it was Miller's claw the duo then informed Thomas that the sale was off because they knew the piece was stolen and that they were going to have to call the cops.
Perhaps the most amazing aspect of the case, considering the brazen nature of the failed caper, is that Thomas actually stayed at Aaronson's store while they waited for the authorities to arrive. "He did try to leave," the vendor said, "but there were a lot of people here and we just asked him very nicely to just stay and hang out until the police showed up." Thomas was subsequently arrested and charged with trying to sell stolen property, while the claw was returned to Miller. That said, there remains one lingering mystery attached to the case as the second Spinosaurus specimen has yet to be found.