Stolen 1,300-kilogram jade boulder found, says B.C. gift shop owner

The owner of a gift shop in BritishColumbia's southern Interior says a jade boulder stolen from outsidethe store earlier this month has been found.

Heidi Roy saidthe nearly 1,300 kilogram slab of jade stolen fromoutside Cariboo Jade and Gifts in Cache Creek was spotted by amember of the public who recognized it from the publicity the theftreceived.

Roy saidin an email the slab has a few scars from its "adventure,'' but she's thrilled to have it back in one piece.

A photo provided by Roy showedthe jade slab covered in dirt,lying in a tangle of brush and snow in the location she says it wasfound.

Roy saiddetails are sparse so far and the RCMP are expected torelease a statement Tuesday about their investigation into thetheft.

Previously, an older grey and gold Dodge pickup truck pulling atrailer with an excavator was captured on surveillance videocarrying the boulder off.

Police later found the trailer abandoned, without the jade, andthe truck thought to have been used in the theft was found empty inanother location.

Roy saidthe metre-wide slab has been displayed in front ofCariboo Jade and Gifts since she bought the store in 1985, and whileit's become a tourist attraction, it is low-grade jade and worthlessas semi-precious stone.

Roy thanked people who sent words of encouragement fromacross the country, saying it's clear "this stone meant a lot tomany more than we realized.''