Eagle statue stolen from elderly Fresno veteran is returned

A 400-pound statue of an American bald eagle stolen last month from the doorstep of an elderly Korean War veteran was found and returned Tuesday by Fresno County sheriff’s deputies.

Kenneth Jackson and his wife, Audrey, were happy to have one their most prized possessions back, but the moment was bittersweet due to damage to the statue’s beak and tail.

“Look at his beak – it looks like he’s been through a battle,” Jackson said. “We’ll make it better, then maybe our problems will be in the past.”

Audrey Jackson was in tears as she surveyed the damage. The beak had been broken, she said, but the thieves tried to fix it – instead further damaging the bird’s head.

Fresno County sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botti said Fresno police received a call on April 9 from a man wanting to return the statue.

The man claimed to have purchased it for $50 off the back of a truck, but his story was vague, Botti said. No one was arrested in the theft.

The statue was stolen from the Jacksons’ doorstep on Alluvial Avenue near Chestnut Avenue sometime overnight on March 27-28. It was the fourth time the statue had been vandalized, the couple said.

Kenneth Jackson served in the U.S. Marine Corps, and the family has an extensive collection of patriotic memorabilia dating back to his time at war.

This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 2:51 PM with the headline "Eagle statue stolen from elderly Fresno veteran is returned."