During a news conference on Tuesday, police revealed that a man has been apprehended in connection with the theft of a Jackie Robinson statue from McAdams Park in Wichita, Kansas, which occurred on Jan. 25.
Ricky Alderete, aged 45, has been charged with felony theft and providing false information, according to police.
Throughout the investigation, detectives conducted approximately 100 interviews to ascertain both the perpetrator and the motive behind the crime.
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Nonprofit Organization Suspects Racial Motive in Theft
League 42, the nonprofit organization responsible for installing the bronze Jackie Robinson statue at the park in 2021, initially expressed concern that the theft may have been racially motivated, potentially constituting a hate crime, as the statue is one of only four in the nation depicting the renowned athlete.
In a statement, the police asserted that their investigation did not uncover any evidence suggesting that the theft was motivated by hate.
Instead, authorities believe that the primary motivation behind the crime was financial gain through the scrapping of common metals.
Thieves frequently target metals such as bronze and copper to sell them to scrap yards.
The incidence of scrap metal thefts has been increasing in recent years, particularly due to rising prices of metals like bronze, as reported by Market Research Future.
In a recent incident in Los Angeles, a bronze plaque was stolen from Bruce’s Beach amid a surge in metal thefts across the county.
Jackie Robinson Statue Discovered Vandalized and Burned
According to police, Alderete allegedly severed the Jackie Robinson statue at the ankles and loaded it onto a pickup truck.
The statue was later discovered by the Wichita Fire Department in a dismantled, burnt, and irreparable state amidst a small trash fire.
Established in 2013 and named after Robinson’s jersey number, League 42 initiated an online campaign that raised $194,780 to replace the statue.
However, on Feb. 1, Major League Baseball (MLB) announced its intention to replace the vandalized statue in collaboration with its clubs.
Additionally, the MLB will allocate funds to League 42 to support the nonprofit’s athletic and educational endeavors, as per the league’s statement.
Bob Lutz, the Executive Director of League 42, stated that the donated funds will be utilized to sustain the organization’s facilities and educational initiatives for underserved youth. Additionally, the funds will be allocated to enhancing security around the statue area and upgrading the lighting and playing surfaces of two of their fields.