Dennis the Menace Stolen

(Monterey, California) Be on the lookout for a statue-napper. The city's 120 pound bronze of Dennis the Menace, built with the help of cartoonist Hank Ketcham, creator of the Dennis the Menace comic strip, was boosted from the park.

From MercuryNews.com:

The much-loved, kid-sized statue of the iconic comic strip character was taken Wednesday night from the Monterey park named after him. Outraged city officials offered a $5,000 reward Friday for the arrest and conviction of the thief or thieves.

Monterey Mayor Dan Albert said the 3-foot-tall, bronze statue is "a symbol of goodness and happiness of the city," and likened its taking to stealing the community's heart.

The statue is valued at $25,000 to $35,000.

Monterey Police are looking for leads in the case and have set up an anonymous tip line. It's believed that several tipsters have implicated the Mr. Wilson gang.