Polk deputies: Naked man steals ‘swan’ worth estimated $25,000

Lakeland is known as “The City of Swans,” both real and artistically imagined.

On Friday afternoon, authorities in Polk County were able to finally track down one of the fiberglass variety that went missing after a recent theft.

Polk County Sheriff’s Office investigators said that surveillance video from May 19 shows Ronald Thompson stealing a pickup truck parked outside Lakeland Cold Storage. The video also shows Thompson was naked while stealing the truck.

In the back of the truck was a black and white swan sculpture, standing about 5 feet tall, worth an estimated $25,000. The owner of the swan told Bay News 9 that he and his wife received the swan for a donation they had made, and it had been in their backyard ever since.

Recently, however, the swan’s paint was in need of touchups. The owner had been transporting the swan in the truck to get estimates on the touchup work.

Authorities located the stolen truck — and Thompson — in Hillsborough County. On Friday, someone fishing with a friend off Old Tampa Highway saw the swan there.

They learned from local media that the swan had been stolen and called the sheriff’s office.

This story was originally published May 26, 2017 at 6:28 PM with the headline "Polk deputies: Naked man steals ‘swan’ worth estimated $25,000."