Man charged over theft of Jackie Robinson’s statue in Kansas… after life-size bronze of baseball icon was cut off, stolen and destroyed

A man has been charged in the theft of a statue depicting pioneering baseball player Jackie Robinson, police said on Tuesday, adding that they believe the incident was not motivated by hate but rather financial gain.

The life-size bronze of Robinson, who in 1947 became the first Black man to play in Major League Baseball, was stolen from a Wichita, Kansas park in January and parts of it were later found burned and in a trash can.

Only the statue’s feet were left at McAdams Park; where roughly 600 children play in a youth baseball league called League 42, which is named after Robinson’s uniform number with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

It was during his time in Brooklyn when the baseball icon broke MLB’s color barrier.

One month on from the incident, Ricky Alderete, 45, has been hit with four criminal charges of felony theft (value over $25,000), aggravated criminal damage to property, identity theft and making false information over the theft of the statue. 

The life-size bronze of Robinson, who in 1947 became the first Black man to play in Major League Baseball, was cut off at the ankles, stolen and destroyed last month

However, police believe Alderete’s alleged actions were solely motivated by financial gain. 

‘The investigation has not revealed any evidence indicating that this was a hate-motivated crime. Instead, we believe this theft was motivated by the financial gain of scrapping common metal,’ the Wichita Police Department said in a news release.

‘Our detectives remain committed to gathering information to identify and charge all individuals involved in the theft and destruction of the Jackie Robinson statue.’

Police said the suspect, who is currently in custody, was charged on Monday with multiple counts.

The statue, which commemorated Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier, was cut at its ankles and hauled off in a truck. Pieces of it were later discovered beyond repair by firefighters who had responded to a report of a fire.

Robinson was famous for overcoming racial hatred in a widely segregated society. He was a six-time All-Star with Brooklyn and won a World Series title in 1955, the first for the storied franchise.

Donations poured in at the end of January to replace the destroyed statue of Robinson on what would have been his 105th birthday.

The total raised through one online fundraiser surpassed $145,000 at one stage, which is far in excess of the estimated $75,000 value of the bronze statue that was cut from its base.