Three weeks after a bronze statue of legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson was stolen from outside a Kansas stadium, Wichita police announced Tuesday that they had arrested a man.
In fact, Ricky Alderete was handcuffed and charged with theft over $25,000, aggravated criminal damage, identity theft and making false statements.
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The statue was stolen from League 42's McAdams Park in the middle of the night. A few days later it was found dismantled and burned.
League 42's McAdams Park was founded in 2013 to allow local children to learn baseball without having to worry about registration fees. He had received permission from Robinson's family to erect a statue in 2021. According to authorities, the item is valued at $75,000.
In addition, the original form of the statue is present and will be used to reconstruct a new one.
Robinson is the first black player in history to play in Major League Baseball. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1947 to 1956 and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.
Quebec has a special relationship with Robinson as he wore the colors of the Montreal Royals, the Dodgers' AAA-level farm club at the time, in 1946.