by Kevin Burton
The man who stole a bronze statue of baseball legend Jackie Robinson was sentenced on Friday to 15 years in prison for that and other crimes, as news came that a new statue will arrive in Wichita tomorrow.
Ricky Aldrete said a fentanyl addiction led to the crimes. Wichita police said they uncovered no evidence that the theft and destruction of the statue constituted a hate crime.
Robinson, now considered a civil rights icon, was the black player who integrated modern Major League baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. He died in 1972 at the young are of 53, after enduring years of physical and verbal abuse from racists who opposed that integration.
Bob Lutz, Executive director of League 42, the youth baseball league that erected the statue, told NBC-TV affiliate KSNW that it was time to move on from the original tragedy.
“I hope everyone comes out of this for the better, including the people who committed the crime. No anger,” Lutz told KSNW.
“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 Wichita 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,” wrote the Associated Press.
“A judge sentenced Ricky Aldrete on Friday on three different cases that he said in court stemmed from his addiction to fentanyl.”
“I let fentanyl take over me and made a lot of poor decisions. I am not going to deny that. I never meant to hurt anybody,” he said in court Friday. “I am embarrassed, I’m ashamed. Whatever you do today I accept. I am ready for that. I believe I am where I am supposed to be right now because at the rate I am going, I might have been dead.”
Alderete 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, according to the AP report.
League 42 is a youth baseball league in Wichita that was created to make the sport affordable to urban youths. League 42 plans to unveil the replacement statue of Robinson, which was crafted from the original mold, tomorrow at McAdams Park in Wichita.
Robinson played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers, paving the way for generations of Black American ballplayers.
“The city was shocked when the statue was cut from its base in January, leaving only the statue’s feet behind,” according to the AP. “The league that primarily serves low-income youth is named after Robinson’s uniform number with the Brooklyn Dodgers.”
Firefighters found burned remnants of the statue five days after the theft while responding to a trash can fire at another park about seven miles away.
“After the original statue was stolen, donations to replace it rolled in, 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 tomorrow’s unveiling, “ the AP reported.
“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.”
“The new statue will sit on a four-foot-tall home plate, KSNW reported.
“ Lutz said tomorrow will be an exciting day when the statue is unveiled to the public. Multiple people from Major League Baseball and the Kansas City Royals will be in attendance according to KSNW
“Little leaguers from League 42 will do the honors, pulling off the curtain and revealing the new statue. It will take place at 6 p.m., and attendees are encouraged to arrive early, as there will be a large turnout,” reported KSNW.
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