Police arrested Robinson for stealing statue.

Ricky Alderete has been charged with felony theft, aggravated criminal damage to property, identity theft and falsifying information.

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He Wichita Police Department ,kansas) said this on Tuesday arrestedAfter about three weeks a jackie robinson statue Outside stolen of one park And later found broken After days.

Ricky Alderete, 45, is charged with felony theft (value over $25,000), aggravated criminal damage to property, identity theft and giving false information. The statue, which police said was worth $75,000, was stolen from McAdams Park, home of League 42, a youth baseball league for about 600 children, which commissioned and installed the statue in 2021. Was done.

Aaron Moses of the Wichita Police Department said, “The investigation has revealed no evidence to suggest this was a hate crime.” “We believe this theft was motivated by the financial gain from destroying base metal.”

“We feel good that someone is held responsible and I believe all individuals involved will be held to account,” said Bob Lutz, executive director of the nonprofit League 42 Foundation.

The statue was cut off at the ankles, leaving only bronze replicas of Robinson’s shoes on an otherwise empty pedestal. Tony Workman, general manager of Art Castings of Colorado, which turned the original work into a bronze statue, told ESPN that the Robinson statue was made of 95% copper.

Musa also said that the police are committed to identifying all those involved in the crime.

“We know from the surveillance video (released shortly after the statue was reported missing on January 25) that there were at least three people there when the statue was taken away,” Moses said, “and we know it was placed somewhere.” And was taken to where other people were present.”

On January 28, police recovered a vehicle at an apartment complex in Wichita that they believed was related to the case. Two days later, firefighters found the charred remains of the statue during a trash fire at another park about 7 miles away.

Lutz said donations reached $300,000. Although the artist died, the original cast of the statue exists and Art Castings of Colorado will use it to reconstruct a new statue.

In a coordinated effort between its clubs, MLB will pay for it because so many teams and individuals from across the sport wanted to help.

Lutz said he hopes to have the new statue completed by mid-summer.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.