A trio of eagle-eyed Whidbey News-Times reporters on a search for lattes Thursday morning discovered the whereabouts of a large aluminum lawn ornament that had been heisted from a yard in the Sierra development.
But the mystery of how the life-size wolf ended up on a sidewalk along S. Main Street in Coupeville remains unsolved.
Chuck and Suzie King, residents of the seaside neighborhood off West Beach Road, have a collection of 10 life-sized animals, from an alligator to a zebra, decorating their large yard. Monday morning, they went out to mow the lawn and discovered that one of a matching set of cast-aluminum wolves was missing.
They contacted the Island County Sheriff’s Office and the Coupeville Marshal’s Office Monday. On Tuesday, they called the Whidbey News-Times.
“We just want it back,” Suzie said. “We’re hoping someone will see it and return it to us.”
The Kings started the unique collection years ago, Suzie explained, with a couple of humorous “beach people” they keep on the side of the house. Then family members sent them a 600-pound, concrete buffalo all the way from Idaho.
Since then, Chuck said they try to add something new each year. They’re looking for a full-sized elk next. The display has become a big hit in the neighborhood, with people often bringing their kids to visit or ride on one of the concrete creatures. Some Canadians even knocked on the door Sunday to inquire about the animals.
“When we first started, one of our neighbors wasn’t very happy,” Chuck said. “But after we added a few, people started getting excited and asking us what’s next.”
The Kings placed the matching wolf sculptures at the end of the driveway. When one went missing this week, they figured teenagers probably stole it as a prank. They noted that Coupeville High School’s mascot is a wolf.
It’s unclear when the wolf showed up in the middle of Coupeville, under the sign for Sally’s Garden. Amanda Rice, employee at Sally’s Garden, said she thought the wolf was placed there by the Whidbey News-Times, which had just moved into the development last week. The wolf was placed next to the Whidbey News-Times folding sign, which had fallen — or was pushed — over.
The News-Times reporters noticed the wolf and alerted the Kings, who reported the finding to law enforcement.
Deputy Chris Peabody with the Coupeville Marshal’s Office said he also had noticed the metal wolf but wasn’t aware of the missing-wolf case.
“I drove by a few times. I thought it was just kind of odd,” he said.
Peabody took photos of the pilfered wolf and allowed the Kings to pick it up Thursday afternoon. The couple said they plan to secure all their creatures with cement.
