Authorities in Wichita,Winning Exchange Kansas say they have arrested a 45-year-old man in the theft last month of a bronze Jackie Robinson statue and add more arrests would be forthcoming.
The 275-pound statue was taken from McAdams Park in Wichita on Jan. 25, and only its feet were left after thieves dismantled it. The park is home to League 42, a youth baseball league named for the Hall of Famer's uniform number.
The man, Ricky Angel Alderete, was booked in an unrelated case and charged with the theft. Police say the motive was to sell the metal for scrap, but found no evidence of a hate crime.
Alderete is in Sedwick County Jail on a $150,000 bond and charged with felony theft valued at over $25,000, aggravated criminal damage to property, identity theft, and making false information, according to online records. He has been in custody since Feb. 1, for other charges, including contempt of court, kidnapping, and a probation violation.
“When you try to take something from this community, it won’t tolerate it,” Wichita police Chief Joe Sullivan said. Sullivan said he would share more information once more arrests are made.
HOT STOVE UPDATES: MLB free agency: Ranking and tracking the top players available.
Firefighters found parts of the statue burned at Garvey Park five days after the theft, which was captured on video.
The statue was valued at $75,000, but donations have been raised through several crowdfunding sites, including a GoFund page which has raised nearly $200,000.
2025-05-02 14:371703 view
2025-05-02 14:25615 view
2025-05-02 13:01403 view
2025-05-02 12:48178 view
2025-05-02 12:051507 view
2025-05-02 12:001466 view
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The California Department of Motor Vehicles has apologized for an “unacceptable a
After a weather delay, SpaceX is preparing to launch its second NASA mission of the year early Wedne
WASHINGTON (AP) — The top vote-getter in Tuesday’s Republican presidential primary in Nevada wasn’t