Controversial Ronald Reagan Statue Damaged in Attempted Theft

A controversial life-size statue of a former president placed in a Newport Beach park suffered damage after a botched attempt by a thief to remove it from the site, according to Newport Beach Patch.The statue of Ronald Reagan, approved in January, was unveiled last month. The controversy arose in part because local officials differed on the definition of the statue as "art."

The Reagan statue was funded privately, but is situated publicly to all for all of the California politician's fans to see.

The attempted theft took place at around 5:30 a.m. Sunday. A witness says he saw "a man tie a rope around the statue, attach it to his truck and back away quickly," per Newport Beach police Sgt. Kirk Jacobi, who added: "The witness followed the truck but lost him soon after."

The statue was left "tilting like the leaning tower of Pisa," and was since hauled away for repair.