Life-size Colonel Sanders statue stolen from 92-year-old’s porch - and cops get it back

For more than a decade, a life-size replica of Colonel Sanders stood on Gloria Reyes’ front porch.

The colonel was much more than patio decor.

To the delight of her neighbors, the 92-year-old Fair Oaks resident would dress the colonel for holidays, according to a Facebook post from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.

“I’ve got him dressed for St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, Valentine’s Day, Happy New Year,” Reyes told KCRA-TV. “He always has a smile on his face.”

That smile, though, was nowhere to be found on Monday, Aug. 16.

“I opened the door (and exclaimed,) ‘My colonel! The colonel is gone!’” Reyes told the outlet.

Reyes was in dismay that someone would steal something that brought happiness to her and the community, according to the post.

“The hope of seeing the colonel dressed up again for St. Patrick’s Day or Cinco de Mayo was lost,” the post said.

But with a little help from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, Reyes would soon see her beloved colonel again.

After the sheriff’s department received a tip that someone tried to pawn the statue, “[d]etectives retrieved him unharmed,” the post said.

But before he could return to his front porch post, the sheriff’s department said the colonel did some volunteer work around the station and gladly posed for some photos.

Reyes’ face was filled with joy as the statue was returned to her front porch on Wednesday, Aug. 17, a video posted by the sheriff’s department on Instagram shows. She patted his cheeks and placed some shades on his face, before hugging members of the sheriff’s department and posing for photos.

“I feel happy that the old boy’s back ... and that he can keep putting a smile on people’s faces,” Reyes told CBS News.

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