What might be the best-known pair of cowboy boots in North Texas is headed back to Carl Chappell's shop in downtown Saint Jo, "a little scuffed, but fixable," a shop worker said Friday.

Saint Jo Police Chief Jonathan Lloyd said the stolen boots were recovered in someone's house about 7:15 p.m. Thursday after a day of searching took investigators to several homes in Denton and the Aubrey area.

"A bunch of things came together – some test results on physical evidence we had, some interviews at different jails, and at 7:15, they turned up," Chief Lloyd said.

Mr. Chappell's award-winning boots, valued at $10,000, walked out of the Trail Town Custom Leather shop on July 30 on the feet of a young man who came by to ask a few questions about getting some boots repaired. When the shop worker turned to answer the phone, the man yanked off his tennis shoes and pulled on the green ostrich boots with hand-tooled leather tops and scurried for the door.

Police in Saint Jo – about 90 miles northwest of Dallas in Montague County – have a suspect, but no charges have been filed yet, Chief Lloyd said.

Mr. Chappell posted a $1,000 reward for the boots' return and for the apprehension of the "varmint" and "filthy thief" who took them. Word of the theft soon spread across the country.

"The boots haven't been released back to Carl yet," said Alys Glaze, who works at the shop. "But we're extremely happy.

"Well, we're halfway happy, and when it's all finished, we'll be even happier."