ROCKLAND, Maine — A 4-foot-tall Oscar statue stolen from the Strand Theatre Sunday evening during the Academy Awards presentations has been returned.
The Oscar was found wrapped in a plastic bag and left outside the historic downtown theater Tuesday morning.
“We don’t know how he was returned, or who returned him,” Strand House Manager Liz McLeod said. “And we don’t know why or by whom he was taken in the first place. But we’re glad he was returned to us without the need for a police investigation.”
The 10-year-old foam-and-paper statue was damaged as a result of the incident, McLeod said.
“He was cracked nearly in two just below his hips, as though the thieves tried to fold him in half. That would be no small feat, since he’s almost four inches thick, and we’re lucky he wasn’t destroyed by the attempt,” she said. “But with a little glue and archival mending tape, he should be fully recovered and ready for display again next February.”
Two foam Oscars have adorned the lobby of the Strand each year for the past 10 years for the Academy Awards show, which is broadcast live on the theater’s large screen.
McLeod said Monday that both statues were in the lobby at the start of the evening, but when the event came to a close, only a single figurine remained.
She did not file a police report but issued a public appeal to have the figure returned, “no questions asked. It has no monetary value, but it’s a part of the Strand’s history.”
After the statue’s return Tuesday, McLeod said precautions will be taken to prevent any future tampering with the two figures. “I’ll be padlocking them to cinder blocks next year, just in case anybody else gets any funny ideas,” McLeod said.