The hunt to find a bronze Jackie Robinson statue and the thieves who stole it from McAdams Park is ramping up. The Wichita Metro Crime Commission and League 42 are offering up to $2,500 for any tip that leads to an arrest, and an additional $5,000 if the statue is recovered. “Our city wants the statue returned. We also want the individuals who robbed our community of a treasure to be held accountable for their actions, and I assure you they will,” Police Chief Joe Sullivan said at a Friday afternoon press conference. One key element of the investigation has been contacting scrap metal businesses from around the region to notify them of the theft. Surveillance footage shows the vandals sawing off the statue at its feet and loading it into a dark-colored, short-bed pickup truck before making off with it early Thursday. “I’m hoping that they didn’t know what they were doing,” Parks Director Troy Houtman said. “If they would just bring it back, no questions asked. We’d move on and repair the statue. Hopefully, they’ll wisen up to do that.” But he said the statue, which is valued at $75,000, will be replaced “one way or another.” “We’re either going to do repairs or replace. We’ve already started investigating on what that’s going to take,” he said. District Attorney Marc Bennett said the window for leniency is rapidly closing.
Source: The Wichita Eagle
