The endless invention of criminals never ceases to amaze.

From the South Florida Sun Sentinel
via the AP wire:

A woman caught using black paint to cover up the distinctive white markings of a missing Wellington, Fla., show horse may have given Palm Beach County sheriff's deputies the clue they need to unravel a baffling mystery involving the theft of expensive horses in Florida and Illinois.

Back in his stall Sunday was San Diego, a 13-year-old gelding lured from his paddock in late January and apparently stashed in a nearby stable. There, Palm Beach County Sheriff's investigators say, attempts were made to disguise the horse by using a caustic oil-based black enamel to cover his white legs and a white stripe on his face.

Two other expensive show horses, reported stolen last year from the Chicago area, were also recovered in Wellington on Saturday, officials said.

"Ma'am, ma'am, why are you painting that horse?"