Arrest made in Jackie Robinson statue theft
An arrest has been made in the case involving the theft and destruction of a Jackie Robinson statue from a park in Wichita, Kan., the Wichita Police Department said Tuesday.
The suspect is charged with felony theft (value over $25,000), aggravated criminal damage to property, identity theft and making false information.
"The investigation has not revealed any evidence indicating that this was a hate-motivated crime," said Aaron Moses of the Wichita Police Department. "We believe this theft was motivated by the financial gain of scrapping common metal."
Police remain committed to identifying all individuals involved in the crime, Moses added.
"We know from the surveillance video that there were at least three individuals there when the statue was taken, and we know it was taken somewhere where other individuals were present," Moses said.
The Robinson statue was reported missing on Jan. 25 after being stolen from McAdams Park, the home base of League 42, a local youth baseball league named after the number Robinson wore with the Dodgers. The thieves cut the statue off at the ankles before removing it from the premises, and it was later found burned and dismantled. The theft and subsequent destruction of the statue, which was installed in 2021, sparked outrage and drew national attention.
"We're feeling good that someone is being held responsible, and I do believe that all individuals involved will be apprehended," said League 42 executive director Bob Lutz.
Major League Baseball and the 30 clubs have pledged to replace the statue, Lutz announced on Jan. 31. Additionally, MLB and the 30 clubs will provide funding to League 42 programming in support of its on-field and academic goals.
Individual donations also poured in after Lutz started a GoFundMe page. As of Tuesday, the fundraiser had garnered $194,780.
While the statue's original artist has passed away, Lutz said the original mold will be used to build the new statue of Robinson, with expected completion sometime this summer.
Thomas Harrigan is a reporter for MLB.com.