A man from Kansas who stole a statue of Jackie Robinson from a public park has received a 15-year prison sentence.
On Friday, a judge handed down the sentence to Ricky Alderete. The majority of his time in jail stems from another burglary that occurred just days after the statue theft.
Alderete admitted to participating in a burglary on February 1, which he attributed to an addiction to fentanyl. Thirteen and a half years of his sentence are tied to that crime.
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The statue was taken in January. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
“Fentanyl took control of my life, leading me to make many bad choices. I’m not going to deny it. I never intended to hurt anyone,” he expressed in court on Friday. “I feel embarrassed and ashamed. Whatever decision you make today, I will accept it. I am prepared for that. I think I am exactly where I need to be right now, as if I had continued on this path, I might not be alive.”
In May, Alderete pleaded guilty to charges including aggravated burglary, aggravated criminal damage to property, interference with law enforcement, criminal damage to property, theft, making false writings, and identity theft concerning the statue incident.
The statue was taken from McAdams Park in January and was later reported to have been “dismantled and burned,” according to investigators.
The Wichita Fire Department responded to a fire in a trash can at Garvey Park around 8:30 a.m. on January 30, where they found remnants of the stolen statue.
On February 13, police revealed they had arrested a man in connection with the theft of the Jackie Robinson statue, which had later been found dismantled and burned. (Travis Heying/The Wichita Eagle via AP, File)
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The statue was removed from its pedestal, leaving only bronze replicas of the iconic baseball player’s cleats. Jackie Robinson made history by breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. The franchise later relocated to California in 1957 and is now known as the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Following the theft of the original statue, funds began pouring in for its replacement, including a substantial $100,000 donation from Major League Baseball. The new statue is set to be unveiled on Monday, with notable figures like Joe Torre and CC Sabathia anticipated to attend.
The bronze cleats left behind after the original statue’s theft are currently on display at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.
This March 4, 1946, file photo shows Jackie Robinson of the Montreal Royals in Sanford, Florida. (AP Photo/Bill Chaplis, File)
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During his career, Robinson boasted a .313 batting average, won the MVP award in 1949, and earned All-Star recognition six times. He also received All-Star honors in the Negro Leagues, amounting to seven All-Star selections in total throughout his professional baseball career.
Robinson passed away in 1972 at the age of 53. It is widely believed that the pressures he faced during his career contributed to his early demise.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
