A Kansas man who stole a Jackie Robinson statue from a park has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
A judge sentenced Ricky Alderete on Friday, with the majority of the sentence relating to a separate theft that occurred just days after the statue was stolen.
Alderete committed a theft on February 1 while under the influence of fentanyl, and 13 and a half years of his sentence will be related to that theft.
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The statue was stolen in January. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
“Fentanyl took over my life and I made a lot of bad decisions. I don’t deny that. I never intended to hurt anyone,” he said in court Friday. “I’m ashamed. I’m ashamed. I accept whatever is done to me today. I’m prepared for it. I believe that where I am now is where I should be. If I had continued on this pace, I could be dead.”
May, Alderete Pleaded guilty to robberycriminal damage to property, obstruction of law enforcement, criminal damage to property, theft, making false documents, and identity theft in statue robbery.
The statue was stolen McAdams Park Officials said the building was completed in January and has since been “dismantled and incinerated.”
The Wichita Fire Department was called to a dumpster fire in Garvey Park around 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 30, where firefighters discovered the remains of the stolen statue.
Police announced on February 13 that they had arrested a man for allegedly stealing a Jackie Robinson statue that was later found dismantled and incinerated. (Travis Heying/Wichita Eagle via The Associated Press, File)
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The statue was cut from its base, leaving only a bronze replica of the legendary baseball player’s cleats. Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 and helped break racial discrimination in major league baseball. The team that still bears his name moved to California in 1957. Los Angeles Dodgers.
After the original statue was stolen, donations poured in to replace it, including $100,000 from Major League Baseball. The new statue will be unveiled on Monday, with Joe Torre and CC Sabathia expected to attend.
The bronze spikes left behind when the original statue was stolen are now on display at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.
This March 4, 1946 file photo shows Jackie Robinson of the Montreal Royals in Sanford, Florida. (AP Photo/Bill Chaplis, File)
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Robinson batted .313 in the major leagues, won the MVP award in 1949, was a six-time All-Star, was a Negro League All-Star, and was a seven-time All-Star in professional baseball.
Robinson died in 1972 at the age of 53, and it is widely believed that the stresses he endured throughout his playing career contributed to his untimely death.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
