The man who stole a bronze Jackie Robinson statue that was cut off at the ankles and found days later smoldering in a trash can in a city park in Kansas will spend about 15 years in prison, although most of that sentence is related to a burglary that happened a few days later.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The man who stole a bronze Jackie Robinson statue that was cut off at the ankles and found days later smoldering in a trash can in a city park in Kansas is going to spend about 15 years in prison, although most of that time is related to a burglary that happened a few days after the January statue heist.

A judge sentenced Ricky Alderete Friday on three different cases that he said in court stemmed from his addiction to fentanyl.

The League 42 youth baseball league plans to unveil a replacement statue of Robinson crafted from the original mold Monday at a park in Wichita, Kansas. The city was shocked when the statue was cut from its base in January, leaving only the statue’s feet behind. The league that primarily serves low-income youth is named after Robinson’s uniform number with the Brooklyn Dodgers, with whom he broke the major leagues’ color barrier in 1947.

Firefighters found burned remnants of the statue five days later while responding to a trash can fire at another park about 7 miles (11.27 kilometers) away.

Alderete pleaded guilty to the theft. He was sentenced to 18 months and ordered to pay $41,500 restitution for stealing the statue. He got the most time for an aggravated burglary that happened Feb. 1 that carried a sentence of 13.5 years in prison.

  • nocturne
    20•1 month ago

    But the asshat that travels across state lines to deface the statute of baphomet gets nothing? Not saying this dude should get nothing, but the other dude, that I think was a member of his state’s Congress should face punishment.

    ETA: he only ran for office, but it appears he was never elected.

    • @[email protected]
      12•1 month ago

      Wait, that fucker got off? His defacing of a statue was eligible to be charged as a hate crime, which it absolutely was. This dude just had an addiction to feed. God fucking damn these christofascists.

      • nocturne
        9•1 month ago

        https://www.kcci.com/article/michael-cassidy-who-destroyed-statue-of-pagan-idol-iowa-capitol/60928468

        DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Mississippi man who damaged a statue of a pagan idol at Iowa’s state Capitol pleaded guilty Friday to a reduced charge in return for prosecutors dropping a felony hate crime count.

        Michael Cassidy, a former congressional and legislative candidate, was set for trial June 3, but his attorney filed a guilty plea on his behalf to an aggravated misdemeanor count of third-degree criminal mischief, the Des Moines Register reported.

        • @[email protected]
          5•1 month ago

          Fucking probation! Asshole. Prosecutors should have made an example of him. This just tells other christofascists that his behavior is acceptable.

          Btw, I bought a Baphomet statue to sit on my bookshelf looking over me. They’re plentiful online if anyone wants to spice up their decorations.

          Fuck these people.

    • @Stamau123OP
      40•1 month ago

      I have a connection to this case as my cousin is the person whose house he broke into. He stole it and tried to melt it down in a garbage can, thinking it would be easier to sell in non-statue form.

      • @BeMoreCarefulEnglish
        10•1 month ago

        I wonder if he mistook bronze for copper in a meth haze.

        • @BreadstickNinjaEnglish
          7•1 month ago

          You think he’s a metallurgical genius when he’s sober?

          • @jaybone
            2•1 month ago

            Bronze should contain copper.

    • Flying Squid
      -18•1 month ago

      Because he’s an asshole racist. Which is why he did it in the first place.

      • @jaybone
        4•1 month ago

        He was just trying to sell it. Why are people like you so eager to make everything so racially charged?

        • Flying Squid
          4•1 month ago

          I don’t know, maybe because we have one of two presidential candidates saying a bunch of racist shit and getting very little blowback (and a lot of support)? Kind of makes me think there’s a shitload of racists in America.

    • @Stamau123OP
      6•1 month ago

      Jackie Robinson: Fastest Man Alive

      Also-

      The bronze cleats that were left behind when the original statue was stolen are now on display at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.