A group of thieves pillaged the outdoor patio of a downtown
business and stole an 8-foot-tall fiberglass statue of a
pirate.
A group of thieves pillaged the outdoor patio of a downtown business and stole an 8-foot-tall fiberglass statue of a pirate. The statue depicting the likeness of Captain Morgan, the namesake of a popular variety of rum, was stolen from Poppy’s Fish and Poultry Market at 30 East Third St. about 2 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 10.
A video of the theft, caught on a security camera set up by the owner of the business, shows three men approaching the booty with bolt cutters and flashlights in the early morning. They quickly cut through a cable securing the pirate to the patio, and carried it away to an unseen destination. The theft took no more than a couple minutes.
About 10 p.m. Sunday night, Michael Castelan, the owner of Poppy’s and the Captain Morgan statue, saw an eerily similar statue for sale on the auction Web site eBay.
The seller was from Union City and Castelan was certain the statue, which was made in limited quantities as a promotion for Captain Morgan rum, was his.
He contacted Morgan Hill police, whose initial investigation determined the seller’s address.
According to Morgan Hill police Cmdr. David Swing, MHPD detectives coordinated with Union City Police to search the home and allow Castelan to try to identify and reclaim the statue.
However, the attempt was unsuccessful as the pirate for sale turned out to be a coincidence. Castelan said when he went to the seller’s residence with police Thursday morning, there were two Captain Morgan statues just like his. He examined both of them carefully for defects that he knows his statue has, but the defects were not present.
“We checked it out good. It was just not our stuff,” Castelan said, surprised the case was not solved. He added that the home was crammed with alcoholic beverage-related collectibles and bar decorations. “It looks like they collect bar stuff.”
Swing noted that the owner of the statue in Union City cooperated with police and consented to a search.
The minimum bid requested for the Captain Morgan statue on eBay is $1,100, and Castelan believes the statue is worth at least that much. He said the rum company has not made the statues for about five years, and the thieves likely knew the corsair was worth a hefty ransom.
“This was somebody who knew this had some value,” Castelan said. “It was a very specific burglary, and they cased it out” before stealing the swag. He noted that the statue was locked down with a Master Lock and a one-inch thick metal cable.
But he doesn’t care about the monetary worth. The statue, which has been displayed outdoors on the patio adjacent to Poppy’s since August 2008, was given to him as a gift from one of his customers.
“I just want it back,” said Castelan, who is offering a $200 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the thieves. “It has a lot of personal value.”
He hopes that someone will recognize the thieves from the surveillance tape of the incident and contact police.
Swing said police will continue to investigate the theft. He described the three men in the surveillance video as between 25 and 30 years old. The image is not clear enough to determine ethnicity, hair color or facial hair.
Usually when property that has been stolen in Morgan Hill is recovered, it is recovered locally, Swing said.
He added it is possible that the statue was not stolen for its resale value, but for the thieves’ own use.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if an officer responded to a loud party and saw it there,” said Swing, adding, “The good news is it’s a pretty identifiable statue.”
Anyone with information about this incident may contact Morgan Hill police at (408) 779-2101.
