A $12,000 bronze cowboy statue was returned to its rightful owner nearly four decades after it was stolen from an Arizona art gallery, according to a report.
The two-foot-tall sculpture of a cowboy sitting down with a can of chewing tobacco in his hand was swiped from the Mammen Gallery II in Scottsdale in 1985, and in pre-security camera days, police never had any cracks in the case, ABC 15 reported.
The statue was bought by then-gallery owners Bob and Betty Mammen, who are both now dead, because one of their clients wanted the piece of art, the couple’s daughter told the station.
Before the customer could pick it up, the break-in and theft happened.
“She was devastated,” Nancy Emmons reportedly said of her mother.
“There were a lot of pieces in the gallery worth more than that. But they wanted that,” she said of the thief or thieves.
The statue, called “Pinch” after a 1970s tobacco advertising slogan, was one of about 40 created by New Mexico artist Gordon Snidow.
Last year, ABC 15’s reporters asked authorities for a list of stolen art from the Copper State for a story.
The statue was one of the lost treasures aired and caught the eye of someone who knew Arlin Cook, who owned the Bronze figure after he inherited it from his late brother-in-law in 2022, ABC 15 reported.
Cook, of Gilbert, said the statue was with his brother-in-law for more than 30 years, but doesn’t believe his loved one was involved in the theft.
“He would not have stolen it,” he told the station. “I think he probably got it in a trade because he traded antiques.”
Cook reportedly called authorities and the FBI swung by the house to pick it up.
ABC 15 then found Nancy Emmons who still had the paperwork to prove it was her family’s possession. The artifact is now settled in her living room with plans to donate it to a museum.
“I wish that he had been recovered when my parents were still alive. They would have loved that,” Emmons reportedly said. “I’m sure they’re looking down and really happy that he’s back.”
She also called Cook to express gratitude that he returned it to her.
“I’m so impressed by that,” Emmons said. “In this day and age, you hear so seldom that someone does the right thing like that.”
