The Humpty Dumpty-like figure was badly damaged after being stolen from a Cape May miniature golf course. (Courtesy of Cape May Police Department Facebook page)
Cape May police have charged a Pennsylvania man in the theft of an iconic Humpty Dumpty-like statue that was ripped from its foundation at a miniature golf course and then dumped nearby.
Blane C. Dongas, 29, of Dallas, Luzerne County, faces criminal mischief and trespassing charges stemming from the incident last September at the Ocean Putt Miniature Golf Course on Jackson Street and Beach Avenue, police announced Wednesday.
Dongas, who turned himself in on Monday, was caught with the help of surveillance video obtained by police. The video was posted on the police department’s Facebook page and resulted in an anonymous tip identifying Dongas as the suspect, Cape May Police Chief Dekon Fashaw said.
The video, from about 4 a.m. on Sept. 7, shows Dongas and an unidentified male walking together along the Jackson Street side of the miniature golf course.
Dongas is seen climbing the fence at Ocean Putt Golf and then breaking the fiberglass Humpty Dumpty-themed statue from its foundation before discarding it on an adjacent property, police said.
Although the statue was recovered, it sustained an estimated $1,000 in damage. The replacement cost was estimated at $2,000, police said.
A search warrant of Dongas’ phone records helped police to place him at the scene at the time of the theft, Fashaw said.
Dongas surrendered to authorities at the advice of his attorney. He was released on a summons pending court proceedings on the criminal mischief and trespassing charges.
While the search was on for the suspect, the quirky case garnered widespread media attention and served as a reminder of the famous 18th century English nursery rhyme in which the egg-like Humpty Dumpty “sat on a wall” and “had a great fall.”
