'Wienerman' found: Stolen hot dog statue returned to West Virginia restaurant owner

Associated Press

Published Jan 19, 2023 • 1 minute read

A statue of a hot dog is shown at the Dairy Winkle restaurant, April 14, 2022, in the Campbells Creek ssection of Charleston, W.Va. Photo by Lori Kersey /THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The owner of a West Virginia restaurant that was heavily damaged by fire has his coveted hot dog statue back.

The “Wienerman” statue was stolen from the Dairy Winkle in Campbells Creek during a break-in sometime after the Jan. 11 fire, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

A tip led deputies to a location where the statue was found undamaged. It was returned to restaurant owner Kerry Ellison, the statement said.

Story continues below

Weinerman had been found and had been safely returned to the DairyWinkle Thank you to the officers who returned him home. Who took it is still under investigation at this time. We will keep you updated...
Posted by Dairy Winkle on Thursday, January 19, 2023

Investigators have not identified a suspect and are seeking information about the theft.

The short statue depicts a hot dog licking its lips and holding a bottle of mustard while pouring a bottle of ketchup on its head.

Ellison hopes to reopen the restaurant later this year.

You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.

Create an Account

Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.