“To Sell as Scrap Metal”… Robinson, MLB’s First Black Player, Statue Thief Arrested
The criminal who stole the statue of legendary Major League Baseball (MLB) player Jackie Robinson was caught.
American media, including the Associated Press, reported on the 14th (Korean time) that one of the suspects in the theft of the Robinson statue had been arrested, citing an announcement from the Wichita, Kansas, U.S. police department. 카지노사이트
It is known that the suspect named ‘Ricky Alderete’ who was caught by the police has already been indicted in connection with other cases, including theft and kidnapping.
Wichita police officials announced, “We found no evidence that this incident was a hate crime, and that there was an intent to sell the metal for scrap.”
The Robinson statue from Macadams Park in Wichita disappeared on the 26th of last month.
The statue, which disappeared with only its ankles left, was found burned in a trash can at another park about 10 km away from its original location a few days later, shocking the local community.
Robinson debuted in MLB as a member of the Brooklyn (now Los Angeles) Dodgers in 1947 and overcame discrimination against people of color.
Prior to that, in 1945, he played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro League, establishing ties with Kansas City, where the statue is located.
After retirement, Robinson worked as a human rights activist and passed away in 1972, and MLB retired his uniform number 42 from his former club.
Investigative authorities have been investigating a crime of racial discrimination since Robinson’s statue disappeared, leaving only his ankles.
The MLB Secretariat and 30 clubs decided to provide financial support to re-erect the Robinson statue.
Separately, it is reported that donations exceeding $300,000 have been made to the ‘League 42’ Foundation, which erected the statue.
Foundation founder Bob Lutz estimated it would cost about $50,000 to replace the statue, and said he would use the remaining funds to improve the foundation’s educational programs and facilities.
