Candy Factory's Stolen Bear Found

The grizzly crime was finally solved.

This Dec. 13, 2017 photo provided by the Abilene, Kan., Police Department shows a bear statue at the department that was stolen from outside a candy factory in central Kansas a year ago. Abilene Police Department assistant chief Jason Wilkins says the Russell Stover Candies sculpture, depicting a sitting teddy bear covered in chocolate, was found Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017 in a Salina home following a tip from someone apparently unconnected to its theft.
This Dec. 13, 2017 photo provided by the Abilene, Kan., Police Department shows a bear statue at the department that was stolen from outside a candy factory in central Kansas a year ago. Abilene Police Department assistant chief Jason Wilkins says the Russell Stover Candies sculpture, depicting a sitting teddy bear covered in chocolate, was found Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017 in a Salina home following a tip from someone apparently unconnected to its theft.
Jason Wilkins/Abilene Police Department via AP

ABILENE, Kan. (AP) — Police say a sweet tip led to the recovery of a bear statue that was stolen from outside a candy factory in central Kansas a year ago.

Abilene Police Department assistant chief Jason Wilkins says the Russell Stover Candies sculpture, depicting a sitting teddy bear covered in chocolate, was found Wednesday in a Salina home following a tip from someone apparently unconnected to its theft.

Det. Karmen Kupper says a suspect has been identified but hasn't been arrested.

Wilkins tells The Wichita Eagle that early leads in the November 2016 theft from the company's Abilene factory didn't pan out and that the bear investigation had "become a running joke."

Kupper describes the 150-pound, 4-foot tall (70-kilogram, 1.2 meter tall) sculpture as a "huge landmark" and a popular backdrop for pictures.

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