[UPDATED with Reward Proposed:] Ronald Reagan Statue Vandalized in Newport Beach Park

UPDATE, NOV. 9, 11:17 A.M.: Newport Beach City Councilman Keith Curry, who first proposed the Ronald Reagan statue that was unveiled at Bonita Canyon Sports Park last month, threw out to his council colleagues Tuesday night the idea of offering a $5,000 reward for whoever tried to take the life-size bronze down Sunday morning.

Unlike the president it depicts, the statue now leans to the left.

BTW, you're welcome for the amazing re-creation of the Gipper tipper's handiwork at right.

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Curry argued partisan politics should not enter into consideration of a reward against the “senseless vandalism” where someone tied one end of the statue to the statue, the other to his pickup and then gassed the truck to pull the bronze off its base. It's unclear whether the would-be vandal was after scrap metal or revenge for Grenada.

Speaking of Commies, Councilwoman Nancy Gardner
did not like the idea of using public funds for a reward since so many
other crimes in town do not have bounties attached to them. Hey, honey, they don't have the star of Bedtime for Bonzo attached to them either.

In the end, Curry, Mayor Mike Henn and even at least one member of the studio audience vowed to donate toward a reward for information leading to the Dutch deformer's arrest. That way, the general fund can remain fully protected for the welfare queens Ronnie loved so much.

ORIGINAL POST, NOV. 7, 10:02 A.M.: Newport Beach police received a call around 5:30 a.m. Sunday that a man
in dark clothing placed a chain around the base of the brand spanking
new Ronald Reagan statue at Bonita Canyon Sports Park and was trying to
bring the bronze down with his pickup.

In other words, “Mr. President, tear down this, uh, Mr. President!”

Unable to bring down what went up last month to coincide with what would
have been the late Gipper's 100th birthday, the chain gangster was seen
slithering into the Port Streets neighborhood in his early 2000's model
tan pickup truck with an extended cab.

Reagan's likeness is not doing so well behind the reputed conservative Orange Curtain lately. In August, someone stole a Reagan bust from its stand at Chapman University.

We suspect the Tip O'Neill statue is somehow involved. But anyone
with solid information about the would-be Dutch-napping is asked to
contact the Newport Beach Police Department at 949.644.3717.

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