The brazen theft of a bronze Jackie Robinson statue in Kansas was not motivated by hate – but rather by criminals hoping to sell the prized sculpture for scrap metal.
Wichita police revealed a motive Monday when they announced the arrest of one of the suspects linked to a sickening crime in McAdams Park in which a statue was sawed off at the ankle and stolen on Jan. 25.
Ricky Alderete, 45, was charged with felony theft, criminal damage to property and other criminal charges as more thieves are being sought, according to police.
Less than a week after the theft, part of a dismantled Jackie Robinson statue was found charred in a trash can at another park in what officials previously called a “heartbreaking discovery.”
A bronze statue of baseball legend Jackie Robinson has been stolen from a park in Wichita, Kan. last month. AP
“If you try to take something from this community, we will not tolerate it,” Wichita police chief Joe Sullivan said in a press conference.
“I am sure this is only the first arrest and there will be more to come,” he added.
Alderete was jailed earlier this month in an unrelated case before he was charged in the statue theft on Monday, police said.
The prized figure honors the first Major League Baseball player to break the color barrier when he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.
A 45-year-old man has been arrested so far in the case.
Police declined to say how many additional suspects they were seeking, but said three individuals were in the park when the Robinson statue was taken away in a vehicle that police later found unoccupied in the parking lot of the apartment complex.
Investigators believe the statue was stolen so it could be sold as scrap metal. The crime was not hate-motivated, police said.
“We are very confident that this is not a race-related crime,” said Lt. Aaron Moses during a press conference.
Police officials believe more arrests will be made in the case. AP
Wichita Councilman Brandon Johnson said Tuesday he was “very happy” that one of the suspects was in custody.
“I can’t wait for the rest of them to be caught and charged,” Johnson said.
The community plans to put up another statue of Robinson to replace the stolen sculpture with nearly $200,000 raised.
Robinson punched his ticket to the Hall of Fame in 1962 – the first black player to enter Cooperstown. The lightning-quick infielder, who has a .313 MLB career batting average, started his career with the Kansas City Monarchs as part of the Negro Leagues before signing with Brooklyn.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
