Pickens returns slab, court battle looms

HOLDENVILLE, Okla., July 30 (UPI) -- Billionaire T. Boone Pickens has returned a concrete slab bearing his childhood signature to the Oklahoma driveway from which it was taken.

Pickens had a crew remove the slab from the Holdenville home, which once belonged to his grandmother, in early July and the current owner of the property immediately demanded its return, The Oklahoman reported Thursday.

The slab is back where it began, but Mayor Jack Barrett, who contends the slab is a piece of Holdenville history and was placed in a publicly owned portion of the driveway, said final ownership will be decided by a court.

"Then we'll decide whether to give it to Mr. Pickens as a gift or auction it off," Barrett said. "If it's city property, we might have to do that. On the other hand, Mr. Pickens has been very gracious to this community."