A Case to Do Credit to ‘Dick Tracy’: Theft of Cartoon Strips an Inside Job

Crimestoppers Tip No. 236: always question the curator.

Authorities in Rye Brook did just that, and solved the Case of the Missing Comic Strips by arresting 27-year-old Sherman Krisher of Greenwich, Conn., who allegedly swiped 30 original “Dick Tracy” cartoons.

The former curator at the Museum of Cartoon Art was charged Thursday with stealing more than $50,000 worth of original comic strips, including Tracy and “Prince Valiant” panels, said Westchester County Dist. Atty. Carl Vergari.

Krisher, who worked his way up from janitor to curator in seven years at the museum, was charged with grand larceny in the second degree.

Rye Town Justice Bruno Gioffre released Krisher in his own recognizance after his arraignment on the charges Thursday morning, said Assistant Dist. Atty. Tony Berk. Krisher is due back in court on May 18.

More than 50 strips were taken and allegedly sold to comic strip dealers. The theft was discovered in January, Museum Director Barbara Hammond said, and Krisher confessed to theft and was fired in March.

The Dick Tracy strips were valued at up to $2,000 each, according to collectors. The strips of the syndicated cartoon had been donated to the museum by its creator, Chester Gould.