He Came for the Fish, Stayed for the Charges: Frontier Saloon Break-In Ends at Partner’s Deli
Happy Camp residents don’t miss much—especially when a man is walking down Highway 96 carrying a 40-year-old taxidermied fish that’s been watching over the Frontier Saloon since before he was born.
The salmon—an antique bar fixture famous among locals—caught someone’s eye Friday evening around 5:30 p.m., prompting a call to Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Deputies. By the time law enforcement arrived, suspect Michael Plew, 37, had migrated to Partner’s Deli, where witnesses say he was actively shopping the stolen catch to bystanders.
Plew didn’t help his case by allegedly boasting about returning to the saloon for more antiques. One witness watched him earlier that evening, reportedly running face-first into the Frontier’s front door hard enough to shatter the window—an injury he was still sporting when deputies found him with a significant head laceration and, authorities noted, the unmistakable signs of controlled substance influence.
His alibi? He “found” the 40-year-old salmon on the side of Highway 96.
Deputies weren’t biting. They located the stuffed fish stashed in a nearby truck and returned it to its rightful perch. Plew was detained, treated at Fairchild Medical Center for his head wound, and booked into Siskiyou County Jail on commercial burglary charges.
The saloon’s mascot is back. Plew’s credibility, however, remains firmly mounted on the wall.
