Police announce an arrest for the theft of a statue of Jackie Robinson

A 45-year-old Kansas man has been charged with stealing a life-size bronze statue of baseball legend Jackie Robinson from a park in Wichita, Kan. Police in Wichita said Tuesday that the motive for the crime was likely to sell the statue for scrap metal.

The man, Ricky Alderete, was charged Monday with theft, aggravated criminal damage to property and providing false information, police said.

Lt. Aaron Moses of the Wichita Police Department said the investigation continued, but concerns that the statue's theft could have been racially motivated had been put to rest.

“The investigation did not reveal any evidence to indicate this was a hate-motivated crime,” Lt. Moses said. “Instead, we believe this theft was motivated by the financial gain of scrapping base metals.”

Mr. Alderate remained in custody on Tuesday and a lawyer representing him could not immediately be reached for comment.

Nearly the entire 275-pound statue of Robinson disappeared from McAdams Park in Wichita in January. Only the shoes at the foot of the statue were left behind.

Police later found surveillance video showing a truck parked near the statue as it was cut down and placed on the bed of the truck. The car was later found at an apartment complex, police said.

Pieces of the statue were found several days later by a city worker in a burning trash can in another Wichita park. The statue was deemed damaged beyond repair.

Its estimated value was $75,000, according to League 42, a nonprofit that installed the statue in 2021. Following the theft, a GoFundMe campaign in support of League 42 raised nearly $200,000.

Robinson, who played for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Leagues, later broke the color barrier when he became the first black player to play in Major League Baseball.

Wichita City Councilman Brandon Johnson said he hoped the arrest in the case would send a message to the community, which was outraged by the statue's disappearance.

“This is an event that should not have happened,” Mr Johnson said. “Hopefully this is a testament to anyone thinking about doing something like this in the future.”

Chief Joe Sullivan of the Wichita Police Department said Mr. Alderate's arrest was not the end of the case.

“If you try to take anything away from this community, it will not tolerate it,” he said. “I am convinced that this is only the first arrest and that there will be more to come.”