One man has been arrested and charged in connection with the theft and destruction of the Jackie Robinson statue at Wichita’s McAdams Park.
Police lieutenant Aaron Moses said information on the case was presented this week to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office, and charges were filed against 45-year-old Ricky Alderete of Wichita. Alderete was charged with felony theft, aggravated criminal damage to property, identity theft and making false information. During a court appearance Tuesday afternoon, his bond was set at $250,000.
The statue was cut down on January 25th at the League 42 baseball complex at McAdams Park. The pickup involved in the theft was seen on surveillance video and it was found January 28th at an apartment complex in Wichita, then the statue was found burned and destroyed at Garvey Park in south Wichita on January 30th.
Moses said investigators will continue to look for other people involved in the theft. He said there were at least three people involved in the theft, and it was taken to a location where others were present. He said detectives conducted over 100 interviews during the investigation.
Moses said there was no evidence to indicate that this was a hate crime. Instead, police believe this was a theft motivated by the financial gain of scrapping common metal.
Police Chief Joe Sullivan expressed thanks to detectives, officers, staff for their work on the investigation, and he thanked the public for information on the theft. He said this was a painstaking investigation and he is confident that this is only the first arrest, and there are more to come.
