Arrest made in theft of Jackie Robinson statue

An arrest has been made in the theft of a statue of Major League Baseball legend Jackie Robinson. 

The Wichita (Kansas) Police Department announced Tuesday that 45-year-old Ricky Alderete had been arrested and charged with felony theft over $25,000 for the theft of the statue on Jan. 25 from McAdams Park, home to League 42, a youth baseball league that has over 600 children playing in it, per ESPN.

The statue was erected in 2021 for $75,000, with League 42 working hand-in-hand with the Robinson estate. Video surveillance showed three thieves cut the statue off at its ankles and place it in a truck. It was found several days later burnt and chopped into pieces. 

Wichita police said the theft of the statue was not racially motivated but instead, the motive was re-selling the statue as scrap metal, via kwch.com. More arrests are anticipated. Alderete has been in jail on other charges since Feb. 1 and was charged with the theft of the statue on Monday. 

"The investigation has not revealed any evidence indicating that this was a hate-motivated crime," said Wichita Police Department spokesperson Aaron Moses. "We believe this theft was motivated by the financial gain of scrapping common metal." 

Since the theft, over $300,000 in donations have poured in for League 42, which was named in honor of Robison, who broke baseball's color barrier in 1947. In addition, all 30 MLB teams have coordinated to pay for a replacement statue, which could be in place by the summer. 

"We're feeling good that someone is being held responsible," said League 42 Foundation executive director Bob Lutz, via ESPN. "And I do believe that all individuals involved will be apprehended."