Police in Wichita, Kansas, tracked down a man who is accused of stealing a popular bronze statue of legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson.
Ricky Alderete, 45, was charged with making false information, identity theft, aggravated criminal damage to property, and felony theft valued over $25,000 in connection to the incident.
Last month, police launched an investigation into the theft and did 100 interviews to get to the bottom of the case. They were able to locate the suspect’s abandoned vehicle at an apartment building on Jan. 28 and parts of the statue inside the trash at a local park two days later, officials said. The Wichita Fire Department found it burnt inside the trash.
Police announced Alderete was taken into custody on Tuesday. Photos obtained by CBS News show that only the shoes and base of the statue were left behind by the thieves. According to the report, local nonprofit sports organization League 42, who placed the statue at McAdams Park, was worried the theft may have been racially motivated. However, the police addressed those concerns.
“The investigation has not revealed any evidence indicating that this was a hate-motivated crime, instead, we believe this theft was motivated by the financial gain of scrapping common metal,” police said in a statement. “Our detectives remain committed to gathering information to identify and charge all individuals involved in the theft and destruction of the Jackie Robinson statue.”
Per CBS News, there has been a trend where criminals are stealing metal, including bronze, and reselling it for a profit.
League 42’s name is an ode to Robinson’s jersey number and was created to honor the first Black MLB player. It serves as an affordable baseball league for the youth in the community. The organization plans to hold an event on Feb 24 to pay tribute to Robinson.
“The Jackie statue is not present at the moment. In the meantime, though, we want to do as much as we can to keep his spirit alive,” the post said. “Not that Jackie’s spirit would ever die. His spirit is indestructible.”
Since the theft, the MLB announced that it would replace the statue and provide funding for the organization. The organization also raised nearly $200,000 through an online fundraiser.
