Law enforcement in Wichita, Kansas, announced the arrest of a suspect involved in the theft of a Jackie Robinson statue.
The statue was stolen from a public park and later found dismantled and burned. On Tuesday, Wichita police announced that Ricky Alderete, 45, was taken into custody earlier this month for his involvement in an unrelated incident. He has a criminal history that includes robbery and theft, according to state Department of Corrections records.
But on Monday, Alderete was charged with stealing the Robinson statue. It remains unclear how investigators ultimately came to the conclusion that Alderete was the suspect in the theft.
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Police announced on Tuesday, February 13, that they had arrested a man for stealing a statue of Jackie Robinson that was later found dismantled and burned. (Travis Heying/Wichita Eagle, via AP, File)
Police noted there was no evidence to suggest the crime was “motivated by hate.” It appears the suspect intended to sell the metal as scrap. Officials added that more arrests may be made in the future.
The estimated value of the statue was $75,000.
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“When you try to take something out of this community, the community won’t tolerate it,” said Wichita Police Lt. Aaron Moses.
Alderete does not yet have an attorney, but one may be appointed after his first court appearance Tuesday, said Dan Dillon, a spokesman for the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.
The statue is located in Wichita’s McAdams Park, where hundreds of children participate in a youth baseball league called League 42. “We’re relieved that someone is being held accountable,” said Bob Lutz, executive director of the nonprofit League 42 Foundation. And I believe everyone involved will be arrested. ”
On Saturday, January 27, 2024, people gathered at baseball legend Jackie Robinson’s pavilion at McAdams Park in Wichita, Kansas. (Jamie Green/Wichita Eagle, via AP, File)
Lutz added that since the theft, donations are approaching $300,000.
The statue was cut from its base, leaving only a bronze replica of the legendary baseball player’s cleats. Robinson broke his league’s color barrier in the majors when he joined the Dodgers in Brooklyn in 1947. The team then relocated to California in 1957, where he continued his history as a Dodger in Los Angeles.
(Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Days after the theft, firefighters burned the remains of the statue while responding to a dumpster fire at a nearby park. Authorities also recovered an abandoned truck believed to have been used in the theft.
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Lutz, whose friend artist John Parsons is said to have created the statue during his lifetime, said the mold is still in use and that he expects a replacement to be completed sometime this summer. Major League Baseball will work with the team to pay for the new statue.
Alderete is jailed on $150,000 bail on charges of felony theft, grand criminal damage to property, identity theft and creating false information.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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