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Bubby the robot, stolen from a yard in Kettering, is returned

Submitted Teresa McDade was looking forward to buying new clothes for"Bubby", her 36 inch tall robot lawn decoration, this summer. But now the 40-year-old may have to put her plans on hold. Someone stole the robot, which was chained to her mailbox in her yard,sometime before the early morning of Tuesday, June 17. This is the advertisement photo for the robot McDade purchased.

Photos: Vandalized robot returns home

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Staff photo by Jim Noelker Bubby the robot was returned to Tareece Vann, 5, Thursday June 18, 2009. Bubby was stolen on Tuesday. "It's wonderful," said Teresa McDade, Vann's mother. "If it had not been for the Dayton Daily News and Channel 7," she added.

Child's robot was found slightly damaged with a garbage bag on its head.

By Kelli Wynn, Staff Writer Updated 11:28 AM Friday, June 19, 2009

KETTERING — Tareece Vann stood outside his home on South Smithville Road, hugging the 36-inch-tall robot his mother bought through the Internet three years ago.

The 5-year-old boy was showing his affection for the 24-inch-wide lawn decoration he had nicknamed Bubby.

A thief took Bubby — which had been chained to a mailbox in the McDade family’s yard — during the early hours of June 16. The robot was returned to a neighbor’s driveway on Forrer Boulevard about 1 p.m. Thursday, June 18, according to Tareece’s mother, Teresa, who said a garbage bag had been placed over Bubby’s head.

“I appreciate whoever did return him,” she said. “I’m glad that your conscience got to you.”

Mary McDade, Teresa’s mother, was the first to get the news from the neighbor. Mary McDade picked up Tareece from day care before telling Teresa.

“Mom, mom, Bubby’s home,” Teresa McDade said, recalling what Tareece told her. Teresa told him, “when you get home, you can’t touch him (until) the police come.”

Kettering police did come to the house and advised her not to put Bubby back out for fear he might be stolen again.

Mary McDade, when asked why she thought Bubby had been returned, said, “I don’t know if they had a guilty conscience or what. Either that or they were afraid they were going to get caught.”

Teresa said despite what happened, Bubby was worth the $700 she paid for him. “Yes, to make my son happy. To help him out of his medical condition,” she said, noting that Tareece has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

“I never had a roo-bot before,” Tareece said, interrupting her.

When she purchased Bubby, he was known as Safety Sam, a robot created by Robotronics in Utah to teach children about crime prevention and safety.

Anyone with information about the theft should call Kettering police at (937) 296-2555.

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