A man who stole a bronze Jackie Robinson statue, which was later found smoldering in a trash can, has been sentenced to prison. Ricky Alderete was sentenced to 18 months for the statue theft and 13.5 years for an unrelated burglary. In court, he attributed his actions to a fentanyl addiction.
The League 42 youth baseball league in Kansas plans to unveil a replacement statue crafted from the original mold on Monday at a park in Wichita. The original statue was cut from its base in January, leaving only the shoes and feet.
League 42, which primarily serves low-income youth, is named after Robinson's uniform number when he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the major leagues' color barrier in 1947.
Firefighters discovered burned remnants of the stolen statue five days later while responding to a trash can fire at another park about 7 miles away.
Alderete pleaded guilty to the theft and was ordered to pay $41,500 in restitution. He also received a 13.5-year sentence for an aggravated burglary that occurred in February.
In court, Alderete expressed remorse, stating, 'I let fentanyl take over me and made a lot of poor decisions. I am embarrassed, I'm ashamed. Whatever you do today I accept.'
Following the theft, donations poured in to replace the statue, including $100,000 from Major League Baseball. Former New York Yankees manager Joe Torre and 2007 American League Cy Young award winner CC Sabathia are expected to attend the unveiling of the new statue.
The cleats left behind from the stolen statue are now on display at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. Robinson, a sports legend and civil rights icon, played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers, paving the way for generations of Black American ballplayers. He passed away in 1972.
