Stolen Chick-Fil-A cow costumes returned after Craigslist ad bust

The undercover police officer who showed up at a San Bernardino apartment complex last week was not there to conduct surveillance for a drug bust or murder case.

He was searching for cow costumes. Two of them.

The costumes, which look like the mascot of the Chick-Fil-A fast-food chain, were stolen from a Chick-Fil-A storage facility in Redlands earlier this year.

Redlands police say the thief, identified as 43-year-old Robert Michael Trytten, later advertised them for sale on Craigslist. The price tag: $350 each.

An undercover officer contacted the seller and told him the black-and-white cow outfits “would make the perfect his-and-hers costumes for him and his wife,” according to a statement from the Redlands Police Department. The officer arranged to meet Trytten at his San Bernardino home, where he was later arrested, according to the statement.

The costumes, which were valued at $2,800 each, were returned to the restaurant.

Trytten is being held on suspicion of possessing stolen property at Central Detention Center in San Bernardino.

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Twitter: @katelinthicum