By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
An unusual traffic watcher was discovered by police early Saturday morning.
That traffic watcher just happened to be a green dinosaur that had been missing for more than a month.
Kristi Swihart was initially frightened when police arrived at her door Saturday morning, but that fear turned to joy when she realized what the message was.
“They said they had found it,” Swihart said of the cast-metal green dinosaur that had been hijacked from her home on State Street shortly before the new year.
Police discovered the dinosaur – named “Dino” by Swihart’s daughter, Josie, for whom it was a gift – out in a cul de sac near highways 11 and DD Saturday morning.
“He was facing Highway 11, watching the cars go by,” Wayne Swihart said.
Family and friends quickly retrieved the dinosaur, which is now safely back at home. While Kristi Swihart said there are no leads on who took the dinosaur, it appears the family’s effort to spread knowledge of the theft paid off.
“Somebody got nervous,” said Wayne Swihart.
The dinosaur was slightly worse for the wear – as Kristi Swihart explained, “it looks like a Wolverine went after him” – but back in the hands of its owners.
“Happy,” said Josie Swihart, who sat on the back on the dinosaur and smiled for a photo.
Kristi Swihart spread the news Saturday morning – just like she had of its theft. Facebook proved an effective tool for spreading the message, both through friends and through an area “buy, sell, trade” list.
“It’s not like everybody didn’t know it was gone,” Kristi said. “We put out a wide alert on the thing.”
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