Search for missing rooster continues, local restaurant offering reward for safe return

The owners of a popular St. Johns County barbeque restaurant suspect one of their roosters was stolen.

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Tip Toe the rooster was well-known at Woodpeckers Backyard BBQ and his disappearance has the community around the area coming together.

If you’ve eaten outside there, you know their roosters are part of the environment; they’ll join you during lunch or dinner and walk around outside on the property.

There’s a reward of about $250 with a possibility it’s still growing, Tip Toe has been missing for over two weeks.

“It was sad, we loved him. I know he’s just a rooster but he’s our rooster,” owner Lisa Marston said.

Tip Toe has been there for four years and slightly limps when he walks around.

“He’s a bit of a mascot even though he’s not a woodpecker,” manager April Chambers said. “He entertained everybody, he’d come to the tables and beg for the food even though he was well-fed and people enjoyed him.

Owner Lisa Marston and manager April Chambers don’t believe he tip-toed or limped away.

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“We really think somebody took him. He’s been here 4 years, he’s never had an issue with animals coming up on the property, we have security video all over the property, so we believe he was taken,” Chambers said.

They say their roosters don’t leave the property and the night he vanished, the cameras caught something.

“The cameras do show activity that evening,” Chambers said, without giving too much revealing information.

There’s a reward to anybody who helps him tip-toe his way home, safely.

“We’d throw a party, we’d have a good time just because we’d be so relieved we know what happened and he’d be home,” Marston said.

The owner and employees are asking if you know what happened to him or where he might be, to call the restaurant at 904-531-5670, or you can message them directly on Facebook.

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