LINCOLN, Calif. — After a rather harrowing ordeal, Piper the Peacock, the Lincoln Potters mascot, has been found safe and has returned to the baseball team family.
The beloved mascot's costume went missing sometime between Sept. 11 and 14, when someone cut the lock to the McBean Park fence and entered the stadium. The suspect then broke into a storage structure and stole numerous items belonging to the baseball team, including the costume for Piper.
The Lincoln Police Department was at a loss until about a month after the incident, when on Sunday, Oct. 18, officers received a tip about the location of some of the stolen items. Sure enough, police were able to find most of the missing items, including Piper's costume. Police then identified Joseph Haddox, 19, of Lincoln, as suspect.
After Haddox was located riding a motorcycle near his home, police initiated a traffic stop. However, Haddox tried to run into a field.
Haddox was ultimately taken into custody and arrested for possession of stolen property, driving under the influence of drugs, and resisting arrest.
As for Piper, he is now safe and sound. In a Facebook post, the Lincoln Potters said of the mascot, "He’s a little shaken up and needs some tlc, but we’re going to get through this together."
Though the Lincoln Potters have cancelled the rest of the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic, fans can hopefully see Piper the Peacock at the Lincoln Potters' next game in 2021.
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