Thieves return rug to Madonna Inn steakhouse in SLO, but their identities remain a mystery
A rug that was stolen from the Madonna Inn in a repeat crime over two weeks ago was returned to the hotel on Monday — but the criminal is still unknown.
The welcome rug was taken from the entry way of the hotel’s Gold Rush Steak House on Nov. 16 by two college-aged young men wearing nondescript black hoodies and medical masks, general manager Connie Pearce told The Tribune. They escaped the scene in a silver pickup truck before Pearce could identify them.
Pearce went to the San Luis Obispo Police Department with security footage of the incident and the license plate of the getaway car. She said police identified the owner of the truck — a Reno woman who was presumably the mother of at least one of the thieves — but she refused to give the whereabouts of her son to the police.
Then, on Monday, over two weeks after the theft, the hotel received a package in the mail containing the rug. The package had no name, no note and no return address, leaving the identity of the thieves a mystery.
SLO police public information officer Christine Wallace said now that the rug has been returned, police won’t be requesting charges from the District Attorney’s Office.
Madonna Inn rug has been stolen 5 times in 4 years
It wasn’t the first time the hotel has fallen victim to this unique crime. The rug has been stolen five times since 2021, including twice this year: most recently on Nov. 16 and before that in March.
However, this is the first time the rug has ever been returned, Pearce said.
Custom made with the Madonna Inn crest logo printed on it, the welcome mat is not something that can be easily replaced, Pearce said. She previously estimated the value of the rug at $250.
Pearce said she has considered attaching a tracking device to the rug to prevent future theft, but doesn’t think it’ll help much, as it could easily be removed.
“For now, we are calling this a subtle win,” she said.
Pearce said she has a suspect from Reno in mind, but cannot confirm the identity with the police.
She previously suspected the reoccurring crime to be the work of a Cal Poly fraternity as a part of an initiation pledge or prank, though she wasn’t sure which one.
According to Cal Poly media relations director Matt Lazier, SLO police asked Cal Poly Police to run the get away car’s license plate number through the school’s system, and university police determined the vehicle was not connected to Cal Poly.
This story was originally published December 4, 2024 at 10:34 AM.
