Update: This story has been updated with new information from Ram, and an official statement from the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.
Weird news out of Michigan earlier this week: Someone supposedly stole Ram's Hemi-themed mechanical bull. The device, which features a Ram-shaped headpiece dubbed the Symbol of Protest, was reportedly taken on Sunday at around 9:45 PM while being disassembled following a Roadkill Nights event in the southeastern part of the State.
Ram initially said that it filed a police report with local authorities. A spokesperson made it clear to Motor1 that this was not a PR stunt, but an actual call for the public to be on the lookout. The brand even made a poster seeking any information.
"This is bull****," CEO Tim Kuniskis said in a statement. "Our Bucking Hemi was taken on Saturday evening. The search is officially on, and we won't stop searching until we get him back."
The mechanical bull, affectionately named the "Bucking Hemi," was first announced as part of a big marketing push for the Hemi's return to the Ram 1500. Part of that push included the Symbol of Protest, a ram's head affixed to the front of a Hemi engine block. Ram didn't even have time to take any proper photos of the machine before it was reportedly stolen.
A few days later, though, Ram released a statement saying that the Bucking Hemi had been found:
After 67 hours of uncertainty and a 1,200-mile roundtrip journey to and from North Carolina , Bucking Hemi has returned home. It was mistakenly taken by one of the show contactors, who realized the error after media coverage brought it to their attention.
That said, the Oakland County Sheriff's Department wasn't too happy with all the publicity. Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard released a statement, saying:
'I find this to be very frustrating and a tremendous waste of valuable investigative time. Now, we’re pivoting to see if a crime was committed by the filing of a false police report.'
