A statue valued at about $5,000 was stolen from outside Michel’s Corner Crepes in downtown Durango, the shop’s owner said.

Michel Poumay, owner of the crepe shop on the corner of College Drive and Main Avenue, said he’s owned a 4-foot-tall statue of a rabbit for the past 11 years, which was placed in the garden outside his food truck.

“It’s dorky but beautiful,” he said.

But last week, Poumay noticed the statue, which was bolted to a boulder and secured with a cable, was missing. He said given the weight of the statue, and how it was secured, it must have taken two or three people to steal it.

Poumay reported the theft to the Durango Police Department on June 17, said Cmdr. Jacob Dunlop.

As of Friday, investigators didn’t have any leads. Dunlop said the statue has been entered into a database that will flag the statue should someone try to sell it to a pawnshop.

Poumay said the statue was created by Bryce Pettit, one of the artists chosen by the city of Durango to redo the art installation at the U.S. Highway 550/160 intersection near the DoubleTree Hotel.

“It’s a beautiful replica of a standing rabbit with big ears,” he said. “My chances are slim, but I don’t expect to see it back.”

jromeo@durangoherald.com