45-year-old man arrested in Jackie Robinson statue theft that was not motivated by race, police say
Police introduced Tuesday the arrest of a 45-year-old man within the theft of a bronze Jackie Robinson statue that later was discovered dismantled and burned.
Wichita police Lt. Aaron Moses stated the person was taken into custody earlier in an unrelated case and charged Monday with a number of counts, together with aggravated felony harm to property. Moses stated he was “very assured it was not a race-related crime.” He stated the motive gave the impression to be monetary.
Thieves lower the bronze statue from its base last month at a park in Wichita, Kansas. Solely the statue’s ft have been left at McAdams Park, the place about 600 youngsters play in a youth baseball league known as League 42, which is called after Robinson’ s uniform quantity with the Brooklyn Dodgers, with whom he broke the key leagues’ coloration barrier in 1947.
Fireplace crews discovered burned remnants of the statue 5 days later whereas responding to a trash can hearth at one other park about 7 miles (11.27 kilometers) away. A truck believed for use within the theft beforehand was discovered deserted, and police stated the theft of the statue, which had an estimated worth of $75,000, was captured on surveillance video.
Donations poured in, approaching $300,000, stated Bob Lutz, government director of the Little League nonprofit that commissioned the sculpture.
Lutz has stated that a few of the extra cash raised additionally may improve a few of its programming and services. In April, the group opened the Leslie Rudd Studying Heart, which incorporates an indoor baseball facility and a studying lab.
Lutz, whose good friend, the artist John Parsons, made the statue earlier than his loss of life, stated the mildew remains to be viable and anticipated {that a} substitute could be erected inside a matter of months.
Robinson performed for the Kansas Metropolis Monarchs of the Negro Leagues earlier than becoming a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers, paving the best way for generations of Black American ballplayers. He’s thought-about not solely a sports activities legend but additionally a civil rights icon. Robinson died in 1972.
