Chipmunk-nappers Charged, Giant Cartoon Statues Recovered
5-foot tall Alvin and the Chipmunks, Lorax statues worth $1,800 were taken from the Rave but recovered by police.
Three Center Valley employees are finding out the hard way that there's just nowhere you can hide giant cartoon chipmunks.
Characters Alvin and The Chipmunks and Dr. Seuss' Lorax, valued at $1,800, were nabbed from Rave Cinema on Dec. 5.
Alvin, Simon, and Theodore and the Lorax, were returned to the Rave on Dec. 7.
According to the criminal complaint, Rave manager Matthew Smith told police that Alvin and The Gang were taken by three employees: Michael Adams, 20; Daryn Stickler, 19, of Bethlehem; and Stephen Pleuler, 24, of Bethlehem.
They were reportedly aided by three other individuals: Alex Lee, 26, of Quakertown; Chris Lee, no age given, of Quakertown; and Jason Chon, 30, of Quakertown.
The chipmunk bandits had reportedly offered to buy the statues on four different occasions, but were denied. The men were reportedly told by witnesses not to take the statues from the cinema.
Rave employees, Luis Garlarza and Edward Nunez, were approached by the group and offered $50 to “turn their heads and not say anything,” police say.
Nunez and Garlarza refused the offer and reportedly provided written statements to Smith.
The complaint goes on to say the chipmunks were being sent to a restaurant in Hellertown, but were recovered by police in an undisclosed location in Quakertown.
The statue-nappers and alleged accomplices are charged with
- Theft by Unlawful Taking
- Conspiracy of Theft by Unlawful Taking
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb 21.
The Lorax perch still sits in the lobby, but the sign was damaged too much to hold the statue. All four statues are now being held in upstairs warehouse space.
Alvin, Simon, Theodore, and the Lorax all declined to comment for this article.
The above arrest information was supplied by the office of the district justice . It does not indicate a conviction.
Susan Koomar
8:14 am on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Alvin looks like he has lost weight
Robert Germanovich
9:56 am on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
in other news, someone built chipmunk statues worth 1800 dollars.. have they heard of this revolutionary invention from the past hundred years called "PLASTIC"? its primary benefit is IT IS CHEAPER.
Elizabeth Rich
10:23 am on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Hi @robert,
I think they were made out of injection molded plastic. Who knew four statues could be so pricey?
The bobster
11:38 am on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
It's the molds that are the expensive part of the operation.
I Am Knowledge
12:24 pm on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Is that the Lorax on the right?