500-pound statue taken from Oakmont club

A 450- to 500-pound bronze statue at the entrance of Oakmont's Wild Oak Saddle Club was reported stolen Tuesday.

The cowboy roping a steer has greeted members and visitors to the Saddle Club for the past eight to 10 years, said Manager Dusty Millar. It was a gift from club founder Henry Trione, a Santa Rosa civic leader and philanthropist.

Trione said the statue was worth at least $100,000 and he speculated that the thieves may have been intent on melting it down and selling the metal.

"I hope they catch the rascals," he said.

Millar said the three-quarter-size statue was displayed in plain view but would have taken a crew of people to lift.

The statue was sculpted by Keith Christie, a cowboy-western artist based in Marysville who does sculpture, oil painting and prints.

The theft was discovered by staff arriving at the equestrian center Tuesday morning and was reported to Santa Rosa police, who had no additional details.

"It's a gorgeous thing," Millar said. "And Mr. Trione has given so much to this community."