Two people were caught on camera stealing a Madonna Inn logo rug from Alex Madonna's Gold Rush Steak House.
The incident happened at around 10:40 p.m. Saturday, according to the Inn's General Manager Connie Pearce.
Pearce tells KSBY there were four people involved and they are believed to be college-aged students.
The four individuals began surveying the property before two of them entered the steakhouse, going downstairs to the bathrooms and clearly looking frustrated because they were not finding what they were looking for, according to Pearce.
"It looked apparent they were looking for something 'Madonna Inn' to steal", said Pearce.
Once the two came back upstairs they quickly took the area rug from the steakhouse and ran back to the car. According to Pearce, this all happened within minutes.
Peace tells KSBY these rugs are not products that the inn sells and they only have two at the property. The other was in the registration office where Pearce says she moved to the steakhouse so guests can have something to look at when they come in.
"It's not particularly expensive but the fact is that we can't be a part of all the pranks, the initiations, the whatever it is that they are supposed to be doing so that they can be liked by their peers," said Pearce.
After watching the surveillance video Pearce believes them to be college students so she is now working with the Cal Poly Dean of Students Office to try and identify them.
Pierce says back in 2019 she had students come in and say they need something with Madonna Inn on it so she gave them a matchbook.
"I know I was young once and we all do things that are stupid and really what I want is to get the rug back and I want them to realize that they did something that was really wrong and stupid and it cost a lot of people time," said Pearce.
Pearce said she did not go to the police with this incident because she knows they have more important things to investigate, however she knows someone will be able to identify these two people and is seeking the public's assistance.
