Big Rock Brewery statue thief comes forward

The man who stole a 23-kilogram statue belonging to Calgary's Big Rock Brewery has come forward, saying he's sorry and wants to return it.

Peter Fowler called Big Rock Wednesday to admit he took the statue four weeks ago and has been keeping it in his garage in Calgary, the brewery said in a release.

Eddie, as the statue is known, is a 2.4-metre-tall likeness of Big Rock founder and CEO Ed McNally made of industrial-grade Styrofoam.

It was spirited away from the Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts around midnight on June 7 after the 17th annual Big Rock Eddies, an awards ceremony showcasing amateur beer commercials produced for the brewer.

Video surveillance tape from the night of the heist shows Fowler and an accomplice — whom he has identified as a friend — taking the statue out of the centre.

McNally said he wants to meet with both of the culprits.

Big Rock made a public appeal for the return of the "irreplaceable" statue, promising not to pursue criminal charges, and offering a quantity of their beer in exchange.