Ram’s Bucking Hemi mechanical bull, which was reported missing following last weekend’s Roadkill Nights event in Pontiac, Michigan, has been located. The discovery comes shortly after the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office told the public that it had reason to believe a theft had not occurred.
The saga started when Ram built a bespoke mechanical bull based on the "Symbol of Protest" badge that will now adorn all V-8-powered Rams. The automaker hoped to use the rather strange promotional tool during NASCAR Truck Series events, reinvigorating the sport’s fans with the truck brand. And while Roadkill Nights is technically a Dodge event, a giant mechanical Ram badge that you can ride is about as on-theme as one can get.
Ram later announced that stating that the Bucking Hemi was stolen right from under their noses while the event was being broken down for the weekend. Road & Track shared this statement with our readers, hoping someone might have had some information to share.
Things took another turn last night however, when the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office released a statement questioning Ram’s story, and even suggesting it might be little more than a promotional stunt.
“The company never actually lost the bull,” said Sheriff Michael Bouchard. “I find this to be very frustrating and a tremendous waste of valuable investigative time. Now, we’re pivoting to see if a crime was committed by the filing of a false police report.”
Bouchard said the case remains under investigation as of the time of the statement.
Ram doesn’t agree with this accusation from the local police, however. According to a Ram spokesperson Nick Cappa, everything boiled down to a mix-up with one of the contractors the automaker hired for the event. The automaker’s official statement on the matter reads as follows:
“We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who rallied behind us and worked to bring RAM’s Bucking Hemi home. Notably, we are extremely grateful and sincerely appreciate the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office’s assistance in this matter.
After 67 hours of uncertainty and a 1,200-mile roundtrip journey to and from North Carolina, Bucking Hemi has returned. It was mistakenly taken by one of the show contactors, who realized the error after media coverage brought it to their attention.
We’re looking forward to more free rides at Bucking Hemi’s next appearance.”
R&T has reached out to the Sheriff’s department for additional clarification on the aforementioned investigation. We will update this post as any new information related to the case becomes available.
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