2 thieves caught on camera casing the Madonna Inn – then stealing its logo rug
Two thieves stole a custom Madonna Inn logo rug Saturday night — and the business operators are seeking the public’s help in getting it back.
The brown rug, roughly 8 by 10 feet, features the Madonna Inn’s name and logo and was snatched from the lobby of the Gold Rush Steak House at about 10:40 p.m. by two young men wearing masks, said Connie Pearce, the inn’s general manager.
The thieves appear to be of college age, and Pearce believes the incident may have been a prank or a dare.
The men were captured on the Madonna Inn’s video surveillance walking around the parking lot and through the lobby while the restaurant was still open for business, before going down the stairs to the gift shop.
Pearce said that at one point as they were casing the inn, one of the men raised his palms in the air, possibly as if at a loss for something to take.
Then they returned upstairs to the eating area, quickly gathered up the rug near the front door, and dashed out, Pearce said, speeding off in a black Ford Focus.
“It may have been some sort of fraternity thing or a scavenger hunt and this is how you get initiated,” Pearce said. “... It doesn’t necessarily have to be a fraternity. It could just be stupid kids. They probably thought they were super cool with getting this. I’m disgusted and frustrated.”
Pearce added “it’s not the cost of the rug” that bothers her. She estimates its value at $250.
“It’s the fact that they have no idea of the mayhem that they caused,” Pearce said. “We had to find another rug to replace that rug. Quite honestly, it just made me angry.”
Photos posted on social media
Pearce posted photos of the suspects on the social media site Nextdoor.
Pearce said she hasn’t reported the incident to police, and instead hopes the thieves will just bring the rug back.
“I’m not going to push to prosecute or anything,” Pearce said. “I’ll take down their pictures if they bring it back. But I’m not going to take their pictures down if they don’t bring it back. I can literally post these photos everywhere. They need to figure it out. ... Hopefully, they’ve learned their lesson and they can be more responsible in the future.”
The two thieves are believed to be in their 20s, one with blond hair and the other with brown hair, Pearce said.
The blond one had more identifiable clothing, including a ball cap with a diamond logo on the front and a black-and-blue hooded sweatshirt with the logo “AE” on the back.
The brown-haired man had on a brown T-shirt and black pants, Pearce said.
Not the first time thieves struck the Madonna Inn
The Madonna Inn, an iconic SLO hotspot for tourists and locals, has been the victim of other bizarre crimes in the past, including a pink cake theft in 2014 (the thieves were identified and later offered to pay for the cake).
The restaurant also has seen dine-and-dash incidents, including one in 2018 that made the news.
One of the three suspects later paid the $100 food bill after being captured on surveillance.
Anyone with information about the rug theft may call the inn at 805-543-3000 and ask for the human resources manager.
Or people can email a tip to reservation@madonnainn.com.
This story was originally published September 28, 2021 at 6:36 PM.
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