500-pound bear known as "Hank the Tank" may be innocent in most home break-ins

South Lake Tahoe, California — DNA evidence now shows that a 500-pound black bear the public had nicknamed "Hank the Tank" — blamed for breaking into dozens of homes across the Tahoe Keys area — may be innocent.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife on Thursday said there were three other bears responsible for damaging more than 30 properties that were originally linked solely to Hank.

The agency will soon begin trapping bears in the South Lake Tahoe area to tag the animals and collect evidence for genetic analysis. The bears will be released in a "suitable habitat" and the agency said no trapped animals will be euthanized as part of the project.