LEWISTON – Stanley Colburn walked into the police station lobby on a mission. He approached the window and was greeted by the cool gaze of a clerk.

“I’m here to pick up SpongeBob,” Colburn said.

“You got a last name?”

“SquarePants,” Colburn answered. “SpongeBob SquarePants.”

Colburn also had to provide a description: Roughly 9-feet tall. Yellow. Blue eyes. Smiling.

Colburn, the manager of the Main Street Burger King, was there to pick up an inflatable SpongeBob stolen from the roof of the restaurant earlier this week.

The goofy, yellow TV and movie star was recovered Friday afternoon as the result of work by Lewiston police, a federal agent and the Auburn mayor.

Police arrested Brian Day, a 25-year-old Auburn man who allegedly had it stashed in his bedroom.

“Rumor has it he was going to sell it on eBay,” said police Lt. Michael McGonagle.

At the police station Friday afternoon, the recovery of the inflatable cartoon character was news. Leola St. Amour, the clerk, walked into the report room where she found SpongeBob deflated on the floor.

“Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?” she hollered to the officers.

“SpongeBob!” several shouted back. “SquarePants!”

Protective custody

For police, the recovery of the inflatable was no small victory. More than four dozen SpongeBobs have been stolen from Burger Kings around the country in recent weeks. Very few have been recovered.

When police arrested Day at his home, they retrieved the smiling SpongeBob and took it into protective custody.

“We brought Mr. SpongeBob back to the station in a patty wagon,'” McGonagle said. “He can now go back to his carefree life on the roof of the Burger King.”

Day was arrested on a charge of receiving stolen property. Investigators are unsure if he is the man who sneaked onto the Burger King roof and made off with SpongeBob the morning of Dec. 6.

However, police said that after receiving the inflatable, Day planned to auction off the beloved character on the Internet. The giant SpongeBob balloons have fetched prices of more than $1,000 in online auctions.

The actual value of the advertising figures is between $600 and $700, according to the police report.

SpongeBob was reported missing from the Main Street Burger King on Monday. On Friday, police Officer Michael Dumont received a tip that Day might be the man who had it.

Dumont contacted Trevor Campbell, a Lewiston police officer and an agent with the Central Maine Violent Crimes Task Force. The investigators then contacted Norm Guay, the Auburn mayor and a probation officer.

Guay reported that Day was wanted for a probation violation, which gave the officers the go-ahead to arrest Day on a warrant.

Campbell and Dumont went to Day’s home to follow up on the lead.

“Special Agent Campbell interviewed Mr. Day. As a result, he was able to locate Mr. SpongeBob, who was deflated in Day’s room,” McGonagle said.

Colburn said SpongeBob will be put back on the roof Saturday morning. At the police station Friday afternoon, he was already missed.

“We really enjoyed having him around,” St. Amour said. “SpongeBob was a great guest.”