Stolen Joyland Clown - Louie the Clown, the famous mascot of Wichita's Joyland Amusement Park, who has been missing for about a decade, has been recovered from the home of a convicted sex offender, who used to work for the amusement park.
Police say Louise the Clown was found in the home of Damian Mayes, an ex-employee of Joyland Amusement Park, who renovated and took care of the clown and the Wurlitzer organ that he played.
Mayes, who is currently in prison, was convicted of aggravated sodomy and aggravated indecent liberty in 2011 by a Harvey County District Court after he was arrested for having sexual contact with a 9-year-old disabled boy in Newton.
The discovery of Louie the clown in Mayes home comes as a surprise. Although Mayes admitted that he was occasionally allowed to take the clown and its Wurlitzer organ home for repair during winter, police did not find the colorful clown in the suspect's home when they searched there after getting a tip in 2008.
Detective Matt Lang, who announced that Louie the clown has been found, noted that social media chatter was very influential in solving the case. According to him, Mayes and an accomplice of his may face felony theft charges.
The president of the Historic Preservation Alliance of Wichita and Sedgwick County Greg Kite says the discovery of Louie the clown cannot be overlooked. "We can talk about the fact that there are probably less than a dozen of these organ-playing clowns in existence," he said. "But the thing is, it [Louie the clown] is priceless to Wichita because it is the only one there. It is Louie the clown, which is lined part and parcel to Joyland Park."
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