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Stolen Giant Pumpkin Returned To South Dakota Grower

SPEARFISH, S.D. (AP) — A 100-pound pumpkin that was brazenly stolen from the yard of a South Dakota residence has been found and returned, after someone apparently tried but failed to turn it into a giant jack-o'-lantern.

Matthew Murraine's pumpkin was found in a rural area near Spearfish by another man who returned it to him last week. Whoever took it had tried to carve it, Murraine told the Black Hills Pioneer.

On Sept. 18, someone backed a vehicle up to Murraine's house and made off with one of the two large pumpkins he had been growing at his home all summer, after sawing through its stem. The bold theft drew national attention, which surprised Murraine.

"I was a little overwhelmed," he said. "I just wanted people in Spearfish to know."

The pumpkin required 20 gallons of water every four days and a gallon of milk each week for calcium. Murraine said it was worth about $200 but that the value wasn't what he considered important. He followed his original plan and donated the pumpkin to a family with four children.

"It's funny how God makes things work out," he said.

(© Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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