Elvis statue returned to Mission restaurant

MISSION — The King has returned.

More than a month after a talking statue of Elvis Presley disappeared from in front of a popular barbecue restaurant, Mission police located the kitschy piece of memorabilia and returned it Monday to its rightful home.

Employees at Lone Star Bar-B-Q, near the intersection of Business 83 and Shary Road, said last month that a couple of diners asked to take a photo with the rock icon and then ran off with him.

By tracing the license plate of the thieves, Mission police Sgt. Jody Tittle said he tracked the statue to two Hispanic girls. Tittle found Elvis decorating one of their bedrooms Saturday after coaxing her mother to let him search the house.

Because officers had no evidence to charge the teens before the statue was located, it is unlikely the girls will face criminal charges, Tittle said.

“We wanted to get it back,” he said. “They could have put it in a barbecue pit and burned it. We had to play nice a little bit.”

Lone Star day Manager Tammy Vela welcomed icon back to the restaurant Monday, hoping this time he won’t be going anywhere.

“We’re glad to have him back,” she said. “He’s just a part of Lone Star.”

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Jeremy Roebuck covers courts and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4437.