WICHITA, Kansas — The man who stole a bronze Jackie Robinson statue that had been severed at the ankles and was found smoldering in a trash can in a Kansas city park days later is facing about 15 years in prison, though most of that time will be related to a burglary that happened a few days after the Statue theft in January.
A judge convicted Ricky Alderete on Friday of three separate charges that he said stemmed from his addiction to fentanyl.
The youth baseball league League 42 is planning a replacement statue Robinson, which was carved from the original mold in a Wichita, Kansas, park on Monday. The city was shocked when the statue was sawn off its pedestal in January, leaving only the statue’s feet. The competition, which primarily targets low-income youth, is named after Robinsons jersey number with the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the color barrier in the Major League in 1947.
Firefighters found burnt remains of the statue five days ago later while responding to a trash can fire in another park, about 7 miles (11.27 kilometers) away.
Alderete pleaded guilty to the theft. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay $41,500 in restitution for stealing the statue. He received the most time for an aggravated burglary that occurred on February 1, which earned him a prison sentence of 13.5 years.
“I let fentanyl take over and I made a lot of bad decisions. I’m not going to deny that. I never wanted to hurt anybody,” he said in court Friday. “I’m ashamed, I’m ashamed. Whatever you do today, I’ll accept it. I’m ready. I believe I’m where I’m supposed to be, because at the rate I’m going, I could be dead.”
After the original statue was stolen, donations poured in to replace it, including $100,000 from Major League Baseball. Former New York Yankees manager Joe Torre and Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia are expected to attend Monday’s unveiling.
The bronze studs left behind when the original statue was stolen are now on display at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.
Robinson played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers, paving the way for generations of black American baseball players. He is not only considered a sports legend, but also an icon of civil rightsRobinson died in 1972.