Pasadena’s Most Wanted : $100 Reward Brings End to Cow’s Moo-ving Experience

After suffering numerous indignities, allegedly at the hands of San Marino High School seniors, Flossie the fiberglass cow has been returned to Jurgensen’s grocery store on South Lake Avenue in Pasadena.

Before she was cow-naped, Flossie (Bossie to some), had stood vigil outside Jurgensen’s, a gourmet market.

Like her flesh-and-blood counterparts, Flossie was brought in at nights. But a week ago Wednesday, the life-size, black-and-white bovine couldn’t be found at closing time, assistant store manager Tim Fleming said.

Jurgensen’s posted a $100 reward for the $1,000 hollow, lightweight movie-prop cow and “started getting sighting reports,” Fleming said. Flossie was said to be floating in a San Marino back-yard swimming pool. She was reported to be cemented into the San Marino High School playing field. Both accounts were false.

Finally on Tuesday, the creature--painted red, drilled with holes and stuffed with bricks and mud--was recovered from the San Marino High School maintenance shed. Workers had found the injured Flossie on the school grounds and stored her away. Jurgensen’s was tipped off by two “little girls” who will split the reward, said Bill Drewry , a Jurgensen’s employee who declined to give the girls’ names.

High school officials called it a senior class prank, and recalled the appearance on campus years ago of a smiling Bob’s Big Boy restaurant statue. They said no culprits have been identified in the cow caper.

“Until graduation at San Marino High School, we’ll keep Flossie locked up,” Fleming said. She’ll be out front after repairs, he added, but probably with a sturdy chain.