Green Brontosaurus Stolen From Missoula Gas Station, Valued Over $4,000
Photo courtesy of Earl Allen
Missoula Police are investigating the theft of a dinosaur from a Noon's Sinclair station in town. Hi Noon's Marketing Manager Earl Allen explains what happened just after midnight on Friday, December 29.
"It was at our store over at the corner of East Broadway and Madison, about a week ago, when our latest winter storm was raging around town and knocked out the power," Allen said. "That store had one of our beloved dinosaur sculptures sitting outside the store and now our beloved Little Dino has gone missing."
The mascot was anchored to the gas price sign by a padlock and cable which were snapped during the night when thieves absconded with the 150 pound kelly green dinosaur. Little Dino isn't all that little either: she's six feet long, three feet tall and about two feet wide. Oddly, Allen says this isn't the first dinosaur disappearance in Missoula.
"A few years back, the Sinclair truck stop out at the Wye lost a fiberglass dinosaur that someone had taken off with, and we actually got that back and had to repair it," Allen said. "Then, a few years before that someone grabbed one and it ended up somewhere on the banks of the Clark Fork river, I think over by Reserve Street Bridge."
Allen says this dinosaur is aluminum and valued at over $4,000, which would make this a felony theft investigation. Police and store employees are analyzing video tape from that night, but could use any help the public can provide, so if you see a wayward green brontosaurus, call 911. Sinclair is offering a reward for Little Dino's return.
Filed Under: Dino, Missoula, theft