Dino-napped in Alcova: Sloane’s $8,000 Sinclair Mascot Vanishes — and Yes, it’s Felony

The original story by Dale Killingbeck for Cowboy State Daily.

Somebody in Alcova apparently decided the holidays needed a little chaos — and made off with a 10-foot-long, 300-pound green Sinclair dinosaur.

The owners of Sloane’s General Store say their fiberglass Apatosaurus (the classic Sinclair mascot) disappeared last month, and if it doesn’t come back, they’ll be staring down an $8,000 replacement bill. And because of that price tag, this isn’t just a prank — it’s felony theft.

The dinosaur’s name is DINO (pronounced “Dye-no”), and according to owner Brian Black, the store hasn’t stopped looking since it vanished.

“We sure would like to have him back,” Black said. “I would do ‘no questions asked,’ personally… We just want him back.”

Sloane’s is a store-and-gas-station combo that sells Sinclair fuel, and the dinosaur isn’t optional flair. Black said Sinclair “refreshed” the site with upgrades — including the dino — a couple years after he and his wife bought the place in 2014.

And there’s a business side to the mascot, too: the Blacks pay for the trademarked symbol through gas sales. Plus, Black says the dinosaur’s condition is literally something they get graded on.

“Every quarter a secret shopper comes in to kind of check on us, and that’s one thing that we get graded on is the condition of the dinosaur,” he said.

Right now, that condition is… missing.

Black said he arrived at the store on Nov. 10 and noticed the dinosaur was gone from its usual spot — inside a partially fenced grassy picnic area on the west side of the store near Kortes Road, behind some tables.

How someone manages to steal something that big is still the mystery. The dinosaur is fiberglass, but it’s not exactly something you toss in the trunk.

“We don’t know what happened to it,” Black said, “but he’s a pretty big guy, so he just doesn’t walk off.”

Natrona County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Kiera Hett said deputies have identified a Ford pickup in surveillance video that may be connected to the theft.

The truck is described as:

• missing sections of body trim on the driver’s side;
• with a bug deflector on the front;
• and a toolbox mounted in the bed.

Hett confirmed the case fits felony theft territory.

Last year, the store had a holiday sign behind the dinosaur featuring the Grinch and the message:

“Don’t be a Grinch.”

It also encouraged folks to ice fish and stop in.

This year, somebody ignored the memo — and took the dinosaur instead.

Black says if the dinosaur isn’t recovered, replacing it could be a real financial hit for a small business. That’s why he’s keeping it simple: bring DINO back.

Anyone with information about the truck or the stolen statue is encouraged to contact the Natrona County Sheriff’s Office at 307-235-9282.

Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers of Central Wyoming at crimestopperscasper.org or by calling 307-577-8477. Tips that help the investigation may qualify for a cash reward.