The Wichita Kansa Police Department announced that they have arrested a suspect in the theft and destruction of a Jackie Robinson statue stolen from a local park in January.
A 45-year-old man named Ricky Alderete has been charged with felony theft, aggravated criminal damage to property, identity theft, and making false information, according to CBS News. Additional arrests are expected. The statue, valued at $75,000, belonged to League 42, a youth baseball league, and was commissioned and erected in 2021.
“The nonprofit League 42, which commissioned and installed the Jackie Robinson bronze statue in the park in 2021, initially feared the statue -one of only four in the country – might have been stolen and vandalized in a racially motivated hate crime,” CBS reports.
However, according to the police, that is not the case.”The investigation has not revealed any evidence indicating that this was a hate-motivated crime,” said Aaron Moses of the Wichita Police Department. “We believe this theft was motivated by the financial gain of scrapping common metal.”
Alderete allegedly cut the Jackie Robinson statue, which was made of 95% copper, off at the ankles and put it on a pickup truck, police said. The Wichita Fire Department found the statue’s remains dismantled, burned, and unsalvageable in a small trash fire.
An online campaign was launched to replace the statue by League 42. The club was formed in 2013 and named after Robinson’s jersey number. On February 1, Major League Baseball announced that the league and its clubs would replace the vandalized statue. League 42 will also receive funding to support its academic and on-field activities, according to the league.
Through an online campaign, League 42, named after Robinson’s jersey number, raised $194,780 to replace the statue. On February 1, Major League Baseball announced that the league and its clubs would replace the vandalized statue. League 42 will also receive funding to support its academic and on-field activities, according to the league.
League 42 Executive Director Bob Lutz said donated funds will be used “to operate our facilities and education initiatives” for underserved youth and “to install better security around the statue area and new lights and artificial turf for two of our playing fields.”