Iowa City Restaurant’s Statue Returned, With Note

[UPDATED 6/25/19 1 pm]

I'm happy to report "Choppy" the pig is back! KCRG reports the statute was returned this morning to the Chop House Restaurant in Iowa City, along with a note. The note read:

To the owner of Choppy,

We are dumb. Sorry we took your pig. He was well fed during his absence.

Please accept our apology.

(ORIGINAL STORY 6/25/19 9 am] The pig has been pilfered and the owner of the Chop House Restaurant in Iowa City wants him back. "Choppy," as he's known, was taken at approximately 12:38 am Saturday morning from the outdoor seating area at the popular restaurant in downtown Iowa City.

George Etre, owner of the Chop House, posted this on the restaurant's Facebook page Saturday:

When that didn't work, Sunday morning he posted a still shot from the restaurant's surveillance video on their Facebook page. An emoji covered the face of the person accused of taking the pig statue.

When the pig pilferer didn't put their face forward and return Choppy, George released the video below to KCRG:

The statue reminds me, at least a little, of the pig that sat along Oakland Road in Cedar Rapids, a few blocks north of where the Hy-Vee store now sits. It was there for decades and everybody in that part of the city was aware of that pig. I always took a peek at it when I drove by. It was just what you did.

Hopefully, Choppy the pig will be returned to his proper place soon and charges won't have to be filed. However, something tells me George is getting impatient.