VANCOUVER -- Vancouver's deputy chief of police says officers were able to locate a pilfered popcorn mascot and return "Poppy," as she’s known, to a downtown business group.
Poppy is usually out and about during Summer Movie Nights events at the Vancouver Art Gallery, but the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association said the costume was taken from a secure downtown storage locker sometime on Wednesday.
The costume is custom-made and is worth thousands of dollars, according to the DVBIA. It was the only item stolen from a storage locker.
Police released footage of a man who officers had previously seen carrying an eight-foot orange bag on his back -- similar to the bag Poppy is stored in. Earlier in the week, an officer had stopped and asked the man to open the bag, and the man explained he'd found the costume in the garbage.
On Saturday, Howard Chow tweeted that a "motivated" thief "was no match for our beat officers who were motivated in arresting yet another property offender and returning Poppy home."
Charles Gauthier, the president of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, said the costume had been returned safe and sound, but minus its gloves and shoes.
As COVID-19 restrictions have forced businesses to close, property crime has spiked in the downtown area.
On Tuesday, Vancouver police announced they had arrested and charged 40 suspects in relation to break-and-enters at various businesses. While crime is down across the city, break-and-enters increased after physical distancing measures were put into place, according to the Vancouver Police Department.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Carly Yoshida-Butryn and Ben Miljure.
