The Kansas man who stole a Jackie Robinson statue from a park has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
A judge sentenced Ricky Alderete on Friday. The majority of the prison sentence is related to another robbery that occurred days after the statue was stolen.
Alderete was involved in a robbery on Feb. 1 that he says was fueled by a fentanyl addiction, and 13 1/2 years of the sentence is related to that robbery.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
The statue was stolen in January. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
“I let fentanyl take over me and I made a lot of bad decisions. I'm not going to deny that. I never wanted to hurt anybody,” he said in court Friday. “I feel ashamed, I feel guilty. Whatever you do today, I accept it. I'm ready for it. I think I'm where I'm supposed to be right now because at the rate I'm going, I could have died.”
In May, Alderete He pleaded guilty to aggravated robberyaggravated criminal damage to property, interference with law enforcement, criminal damage to property, theft, false writing and identity theft in the theft of the statue.
The statue was snatched from McAdams Park in January and was subsequently “dismantled and burned,” according to authorities.
The Wichita Fire Department was called to a trash can fire in Garvey Park around 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 30, where firefighters discovered remnants of the stolen statue.
Police announced on February 13 the arrest of a man for the theft of the Jackie Robinson statue that was later found dismantled and burned. (Travis Heying/The Wichita Eagle via AP, File)
CY YOUNG AWARD WINNER BLAKE SNELL RELEASES A MILESTONE-LESS GAME
The statue was cut from its base, leaving only bronze replicas of the legendary baseball player's cleats. Robinson broke Major League Baseball's color barrier when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. The franchise moved in 1957 to California, where it continues as the Los Angeles Dodgers.
After the original statue was stolen, donations began pouring in to replace it, including $100,000 from Major League Baseball. The new statue will be unveiled Monday, with Joe Torre and CC Sabathia expected to be in attendance.
The bronze cleats left behind when the original statue was stolen are now on display at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.
This March 4, 1946 file photo shows Jackie Robinson of the Montreal Royals in Sanford, Florida. (AP Photo/Bill Chaplis, File)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In the majors, Robinson hit .313, won the Most Valuable Player Award in 1949 and was named an All-Star six times. He was also a Negro League All-Star, earning him seven All-Star nominations in professional baseball.
Robinson died in 1972 at the age of 53, and it is widely believed that the stress he endured during his playing days contributed to his premature death.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
