Missing mechanical gorilla found in cornfield

EAST MACHIAS, Maine — An 8-foot-tall mechanical gorilla that was swiped in broad daylight from outside a store has turned up several hundred miles away — with an apologetic ransom demand.

The gorilla disappeared during Labor Day weekend. The gorilla’s creator, Ken Booth of the Gorilla Robot Factory in Akron, Ohio, helped out by posting a YouTube video seeking the gorilla’s return and offering a reward.

Then another video turned up on YouTube, showing a hooded person demanding $1 million ransom and apologizing for causing a flap.

Now the gorilla has turned up in a cornfield at Swanton, Vt.

Sandy Miller, the wife of store owner Lowell Miller, intends to press charges. She said her husband’s old truck is in no shape to make the 750-mile round trip to St. Albans, Vt., where the gorilla is being held by state police. But she said offers were pouring in from people willing to assist.