Reported missing: one 9-foot-tall American Indian.

The conspicuous bronze sculpture of a Chumash man was supposed to be the centerpiece of a redesigned community fountain at the Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks.

Then it disappeared.

"When we showed up at the project site one day, the Indian was gone," said Heather Danko, the shopping center's marketing director.

A statue of that size isn't easy to hide. Several weeks ago, the sculpture was recovered in a warehouse. After being refinished, it is as good as new.

The sculpture, titled "In Praise to the Great Spirit," was designed by artist De L'Esprie. It previously stood in the mall and was removed temporarily until it could be incorporated into a new, interactive fountain being built on the same spot.

One of the project's contractors allegedly took the sculpture and refused to return it after he fell behind schedule and was terminated, said Sandy Sigal, chief executive officer of NewMark Merrill Cos., which manages the shopping center.

Marketplace officials got a court order mandating the statue's return, Danko said.

A search warrant was issued for the warehouse where the missing statue was stashed, which resulted in its return, Sigal said.

The statue will now stand on a 9-foot rock amid waterfalls, lights and fog as well as water jets designed to dance to programmed lights and music.

The project also will include tiles designed by Moorpark High School art teacher Meg Emerson.

Emerson and students from her ceramics class held programs showing community children how to work with acrylics and paint tiles. The tiles were then glazed and fired. The 500 completed tiles will be used to create a checkerboard pattern across the fountain.

The renovation of the fountain, which began in 2006, cost more than $850,000.

The shopping center's owner thought the cost of the project was justified, Danko said. When it's finished, "kids can actually run in it and play," she said. "Before, they could just look at it."

The unveiling will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. Aug. 25. The festivities will include a dedication ceremony, performances by Chumash dancers, a live band and children's activities.