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Northglenn Police Search For A Beloved Missing Bear Statue

NORTHGLENN, Colo. (CBS4) – A sculpture on display at a park for six years went missing this week when someone noticed the bear and tree art piece was no longer at its prominent location along a busy street.

"The public really loves this sculpture and one of the main reasons why they love it so much is because it is this great little scene of a whimsical bear and a tree," said Michael Stricker, the cultural programs and senior center supervisor for the City of Northglenn.

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(credit: city of Northglenn)

The sculpture called "Bee My Honey" features a bear, tree, and a beehive. It was created by Greeley artist Colette Pitcher and was installed at Grant Park. People told city staff they saw it in place on Friday but then three days later it was gone.

"A colleague of mine was heading off to a meeting and had asked if we had removed the piece for maintenance and indeed we had not," said Stricker.

If you visit the park, you will only see the plaque and a few screws at the place of the sculpture. The bear alone is 200 pounds and the tree is another 800 pounds. Staff wonder how someone could have lifted and removed the art piece without anyone noticing. One theory might be that it looked like the city was trying to take in the statues for maintenance and any witnesses did not realize it was someone trying to steal it. The bronze sculpture is worth $21,000 but Stricker says it means more on display for all to see.

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(credit: city of Northglenn)

"The outpouring of support from the community has been overwhelming," he said. "The greater value is to the community and how much they love this sculpture and love having it here."

Northglenn Police are investigating the theft and Stricker hopes anyone who thought it was removed on purpose will realize it was taken and needs to be returned. If you have any information that can help police, contact Detective Burkhalter at 303.450.8856 or dhurkhalter@northglenn.org. Crime Stoppers also has a $2,000 reward. Call their tip line 720.913.STOP to be eligible for the award.

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(credit: city of Northglenn)

"In just the short six years that it's been here, the community has taken it is as part of their own. We would really love to see it back."

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