Suffolk News-Herald

SpongeBob SquarePants is home.

Burger King employees in north Suffolk were thankful for the return of the loveable

sponge, the victim of a teen-age prank, according to Chas Berle, president of Chasmar

Properties, which owns the Burger King franchise.

A local man dropped SpongeBob off at the restaurant Friday afternoon, and had no

interest in the reward of a free Whopper every week for next year.

&uot;We just gladly accepted him (SpongeBob) back without any questions,&uot; said Berle.

&uot;We’re just happy he’s back.&uot;

Now the Nickelodeon icon will go on the auction block to raise money for scholarships,

explained Berle.

On Thursday, authorities issued an all-points bulletin for the 10-foot tall yellow spongy

balloon abducted overnight from the Burger King. Nationwide, there has been a surge in

SpongeBob kidnappings, since the debut of the new flick, `SpongeBob SquarePants: The

Movie.’

In Suffolk, police believe the suspects reached the creature by climbing on the walk-in

freezer outside the restaurant and cutting the ropes that tethered him to the roof.