TOPEKA - Police in Kansas announced they have recovered the locally-beloved Russell Stover Candies bear statue more than a year after it was stolen. The Abilene Police Department announced in a Facebook post that the 150-pound, 4-foot-tall statue of a bear being covered in chocolate was recovered over the weekend after being stolen on the evening of Nov. 4, 2016, from outside the Russell Stover factory and candy store in Abilene. "This had become a running joke," Abilene Police Department Assistant Chief Jason Wilkins told the Wichita Eagle. "We followed several leads and it never worked out, so we are extremely pleased to return it." Police said a deputy with Dickinson County Sheriff's Office received a tip that led to the bear being discovered in a garage in Salina, reports UPI. Investigators said the bear was found undamaged. It was unclear whether any suspects had been identified in the theft. - Agencies