Arrest made in theft and destruction of Jackie Robinson statue that police believe was stolen for scrap metal

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https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/13/us/arrest-made-in-theft-and-destruction-of-jackie-robinson-statue-that-police-believe-was-stolen-to-sell-for-scrap/index.html

Arrest made in theft and destruction of Jackie Robinson statue that police believe was stolen for scrap metal​

By Andy Rose, CNN

2 minute read

Published 2:17 PM EST, Tue February 13, 2024

Only the feet remain after a statue of legendary baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson was stolen from the League 42 field in Wichita, Kansas.

Travis Heying/The Whichita Eagle/TNS/Zuma

CNN —

Nearly three weeks after a bronze statue of Jackie Robinson was stolen from a youth league baseball facility in Wichita, Kansas, and later found destroyed, an arrest was announced in the case Tuesday.

The Wichita Police Department said Ricky Alderete, 45, was charged with felony theft, aggravated criminal damage to property, identity theft and making false information.

“The investigation has not revealed any evidence indicating that this was a hate-motivated crime,” said Wichita Police Lt. Aaron Moses during a news conference. “Instead, we believe this theft was motivated by the financial gain of scrapping common metal.”

Ricky Alderete, 45, was charged with felony theft, among other charges, in connection with the stolen status.
Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office

Police declined to provide more details on Alderete’s alleged involvement in the theft until the case is presented in court. CNN contacted the court clerk Tuesday to request charging documents. District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Dan Dillon told CNN that Alderete was scheduled to appear in court at 2:30 p.m. CT Tuesday and would be assigned a public defender at that time.

Wichita Police say they have surveillance video showing at least three people present when the statue was stolen on January 25.

“We have every intention of making additional arrests in this,” Sgt. Trevor McDonald said.

Authorities added that more than 100 interviews were conducted in the search for suspects. “This was a painstaking investigation,” said Police Chief Joe Sullivan.

Wichita Police say Alderete was already in custody for another case unrelated to the statue when he was charged. Court records show he had been charged with kidnapping and aggravated burglary, in addition to other charges, for an incident on February 1, one week after the Jackie Robinson statue was stolen.

A GoFundMe launched to raise funds to replace the statue has reached almost $200,000.

League 42, a non-profit that provides low-cost baseball registration for children, had raised $50,000 for the life-sized statue at its field, according to CNN affiliate KLBY. The league was named after Robinson’s jersey number, honoring the legendary athlete who broke the Major League Baseball’s color barrier as a Black player when he joined the Dodgers, then based in Brooklyn.

 

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Arrest has been made in theft of Jackie Robinson statue later found dismantled and burned

A 45-year-old man was arrested in the theft of a bronze Jackie Robinson statue that was cut off at the ankles and found days later smoldering in a trash can in a city park in Kansas, police announced ...

www.theday.com

Arrest has been made in theft of Jackie Robinson statue later found dismantled and burned​

February 13, 2024 5:08 pm • Last Updated: February 13, 2024 5:51 pm

By Heather Hollingsworth, Associated Press

FILE - A bronze statue of legendary baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson was stolen from a park in Wichita, Kan., during the early morning hours of Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. Police announced Tuesday, Feb. 13, the arrest of a man in the theft of the Jackie Robinson statue that later was found dismantled and burned. (Travis Heying/The Wichita Eagle via AP, File)

FILE - A bronze statue of Brooklyn Dodgers' Jackie Robinson is unveiled outside Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles before the Los Angeles Dodgers' baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Saturday, April 15, 2017, in Los Angeles. The 19-foot, 4,000-pound statue of Kobe Bryant in downtown Los Angeles is just the latest example of a sports team honoring a player with this kind of larger-than-life presence.(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

A 45-year-old man was arrested in the theft of a bronze Jackie Robinson statue that was cut off at the ankles and found days later smoldering in a trash can in a city park in Kansas, police announced Tuesday.

Ricky Alderete was taken into custody earlier this month in a kidnapping case and charged Monday with four counts stemming from the theft and a 2022 case, records show. Wichita police Lt. Aaron Moses said there was no evidence it was a "hate-motivated crime” but rather the intent was to sell the metal for scrap.

Wichita police Chief Joe Sullivan said it was “only the first arrest” and that there were more to come. He did not specify how police determined Alderete was a suspect in the theft.

"When you try to take something from this community, it won’t tolerate it,” he said, adding that he was eager to share more details about the investigation after more suspects are in custody.

Messages left with numbers believed to belong to his family members were not immediately returned. His attorney in the public defender’s office didn’t immediately return a phone message from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Thieves cut the bronze statue from its base last month at a park in Wichita, Kansas. Only the statue’s feet were left at McAdams Park, where about 600 children play in a youth baseball league called League 42. It is named after Robinson’ s uniform number with the Brooklyn Dodgers, with whom he broke the major leagues’ color barrier in 1947.

Fire crews found burned remnants of the statue five days later while responding to a trash can fire at another park about 7 miles away. A truck believed to be used in the theft previously was found abandoned, and police said the theft of the statue was captured on surveillance video.

Alderete, who is jailed on $150,000 bond, faces charges of felony theft and aggravated criminal damage to property in the statue case. He also was charged Monday with identity theft and making false information in an October 2022 incident involving a pawn ticket, the complaint said.

Police provided no details about the case that led to his arrest. But online court records also show he also is charged with kidnapping and aggravated burglary. The criminal complaint said that he entered a Wichita home on Feb. 1 with the intent to kidnap someone as part of an effort to interfere with law enforcement.

Alderete also has a criminal record that includes burglary and theft, state correction department records show.

Asked how many others might face charges, Moses said three people were seen on the surveillance video. He also noted that the statue was taken to a location where others were present. He said he could offer no further details because it was an active investigation.

Donations poured in after the theft, approaching $300,000, said Bob Lutz, executive director of the Little League nonprofit that commissioned the sculpture.

“The power of Jackie Robinson is extremely strong in 2024 and that’s testament to what he stood for,” Lutz said.

Lutz, whose friend, the artist John Parsons, made the statue before his death, said the mold is still viable and anticipated that a replacement can be erected within a matter of months. He estimated it would cost around $50,000 to replace the statue itself, leaving extra money that could be used to enhance some of its programming and facilities.

“It’s going to be put to good use,” he said. In April, for instance, the group opened the Leslie Rudd Learning Center, which includes an indoor baseball facility and a learning lab.

Robinson played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers, paving the way for generations of Black American ballplayers. He’s considered not only a sports legend but also a civil rights icon. Robinson died in 1972.

 

[Hawaiian Punch]

That’s some bubbles from the wire shyt. “Cmon sherrod, pound of scrap metal in the junkmans yard go for 85 cent.”