(WXYZ) — The Oakland County Sheriff's Office says Ram's claim that its mechanical bull was stolen in Pontiac earlier this month was false.
According to a press release from the sheriff's office, a report was filed about the theft, but after detectives investigated, they "determined the theft never occurred and the item actually was in the possession of people at the company."
Ram issued a press release on Tuesday claiming the Bucking HEMI was stolen on August 9 around 9:45 p.m. after a Ram-sponsored event at Roadkill Nights in Pontiac.
Ram alleged the mechanical bull was stolen during disassembly.
"This is bull****. Our Bucking HEMI was taken on Saturday evening. The search is officially on, and we won't stop searching until we get him back,” said Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis in a statement.
“The company never actually lost the bull,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a statement. “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.”
In a statement released Thursday morning, a RAM spokesperson said they would like to extend thanks to everyone who worked to bring the Bucking HEMI home, and the company appreciates the Oakland County Sheriff's Office's assistance.
"After 67 hours of uncertainty and a 1,200-mile roundtrip journey to and from North Carolina, Bucking HEMI® has returned. It was mistakenly taken by one of the show contactors, who realized the error after media coverage brought it to their attention," the statement reads.
