Kate: Lost and found
<p>The woman from a statue named “Kate” that was stolen from Riverstone in January was recovered over the weekend near Yellowstone Trail Road.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - Lifelong Coeur d'Alene resident Randy Cayko didn't find any moose antlers while riding his dirt bike on Yellowstone Trail.
Instead he found something far more valuable: a large bronze statue of a 1920s-era woman on a bicycle.
"It was just sitting on the ground with a noose tied around her neck attached to a black bobsled," Cayko said. "I had no idea what it was at first, so I called my friend and he told me what it was."
What it was, was the popular "Kate" statue that, up until it was stolen in January, was on display at Riverstone Park.
After finding out from his friend that the statue was stolen property, Cayko contacted the police. When the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office concluded its initial investigation of the scene, they contacted the city's parks department.
Robert Cooper and Tom Meeks from the city's parks department recovered "Kate" that afternoon.
"We got a call from the sheriff's department saying they found the statue up on Yellowstone Trail," Cooper said on Monday. "When we got up there the place looked like a dump. There were beer cans all over the place. I think it must be a party place for kids or something."
Cooper said it looked like the statue was hauled there in a makeshift metal sled.
Steve Anthony, Coeur d'Alene recreation director, told The Press Monday that the city plans to contact the artist who created the statue to get an estimate of how much repairs will cost.
"We're just really glad to get her back," Anthony said.
Anthony added that he believes all of the publicity the theft of the statue generated prevented the thieves from trying to take it to a recycling center.
Crime Stoppers of the Inland Northwest offered a reward for the recovery of the statue and Cayko said he was waiting to hear back from the police department to see whether or not he will get the reward.
In the meantime though, the man was just happy to have found something on his hunt for moose antlers.
"I tried to get the police officers to help me stand it up and get a selfie with the statue," Cayko said laughing. "He said no."