The Kansas man who pleaded responsible to stealing a Jackie Robinson statue from a Wichita youth baseball league earlier this yr was sentenced Friday to fifteen years in jail for a number of instances, police stated.
Ricky Alderete, 45, had pleaded responsible in Could to theft, associated to the January disappearance of the statue, and different expenses. He had confronted greater than 19 years.
The prosecutor’s workplace had stated Alderete could be pressured to pay $41,500 to League 42, the youth baseball group named after the Brooklyn Dodgers legend.
There have been no extra arrests related to the case, however surveillance video confirmed at the very least two different individuals current when the statue was reduce from its stand, leaving the bronze replicas of Robinson’s cleats behind. Elements of the statue have been later discovered, charred from a fireplace, in one other park seven miles away. Police have maintained they do not imagine the crime to be racially motivated however as an alternative “by the monetary achieve of scrapping widespread metallic.”
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A police affidavit obtained by ESPN stated that, days after the arrest, Alderete ran from police and entered a person’s dwelling. The opposite man finally escaped and received in contact with police, resulting in Alderete’s arrest.
A brand new statue might be unveiled Monday at Wichita’s McAdams Park, the place League 42 performs its video games. Artwork Castings of Colorado, an artwork foundry 50 miles outdoors of Denver, created the alternative statue. The artist, John Parsons, died in 2022, however the foundry is utilizing his unique mould. MLB paid for the statue’s alternative.
A GoFundMe web page arrange by the league raised almost $200,000 earlier than the fundraising hyperlink was closed Feb. 5, lower than two weeks from when the statue went lacking. Bob Lutz, League 42’s govt director, estimated that League 42 acquired between $500,000 and $600,000 in complete.
“The Jackie Robinson statue is a cherished image of inspiration, not just for the youth who profit from the various packages provided by League 42, but additionally for your entire neighborhood of Wichita,” Chief Joe Sullivan stated in an announcement from the Wichita Police Division. “The sentencing of Ricky Alderete represents an vital step in making certain that our neighborhood receives the justice that it deserves.
“We’re grateful to the members of the neighborhood and all of our regulation enforcement companions that made it doable for us to carry this particular person accountable for the theft of the beloved Jackie Robinson statue.”
