45-year-old man arrested in Jackie Robinson statue theft

Despite speculation, Wichita police Lt. Aaron Moses said he was "very confident it was not a race-related crime."

Police announced Tuesday the arrest of a 45-year-old man in the theft of a bronze Jackie Robinson statue that later was found dismantled and burned.

Wichita police Lt. Aaron Moses said the man was taken into custody earlier in an unrelated case and charged Monday with multiple counts, including aggravated criminal damage to property. Moses said he was "very confident it was not a race-related crime." He said the motive appeared to be financial.

Thieves cut the bronze statue from its base last month at a park in Wichita, Kansas. Only the statue's feet were left at McAdams Park, where about 600 children play in a youth baseball league called League 42, which is named after Robinson's uniform number with the Brooklyn Dodgers, with whom he broke the major leagues' color barrier in 1947.

Fire crews found burned remnants of the statue five days later while responding to a trash can fire at another park about 7 miles away. A truck believed to be used in the theft previously was found abandoned, and police said the theft of the statue, which had an estimated value of $75,000, was captured on surveillance video.

Donations poured in, approaching $300,000, said Bob Lutz, executive director of the Little League nonprofit that commissioned the sculpture.