A 45-year-old man has been charged in the Jan. 25 Jackie Robinson statue theft in Wichita’s McAdams Park, which led to national media coverage and donations from Major League Baseball and its teams.

“The investigation has not revealed any evidence indicating this was a hate-motivated crime,” police Lt. Aaron Moses said during a news conference Tuesday morning. “Instead, we believe this theft was motivated by the financial gain of scrapping common metal.”

Ricky Angel Alderete has been charged with felony theft valued at over $25,000, aggravated criminal damage to property, identity theft and making false information, Moses said.

Alderete has been booked in Sedgwick County, Kansas Jail since Feb. 1, records show. He also has other arresting charges, including probation violation.

Moses said police are still looking to arrest and charge “all individuals involved in the theft and the destruction of the Jackie Robinson statue.”

The statue was one of the main gathering places for nonprofit League 42, which hosts several hundred children in its summer baseball league.

Robinson, who wore number 42, was the first Black player to play in Major League Baseball, breaking the color barrier when he suited up for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.

The statue was stolen early in the morning on Jan. 25. The bronze, 275-pound statue was cut off at the shoes and then hauled away.

On Jan. 28, police found the suspect vehicle unoccupied at a Wichita apartment complex. On Jan. 30, Wichita firefighters found parts of the statue burned at Garvey Park.

The incident led to national media attention, which led the MLB and its teams to donate to replace the statue. The statue was valued at $75,000. A GoFundMe raised over $194,000, but donations poured in through other avenues as well.

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