A federal grand jury in Minneapolis has indicted a man in the 2005 theft of a pair of ruby slippers. They weren’t just any pair of slippers, but ones that could take you home with just a click of your heels.
Terry Martin, the man charged in the theft from 18 years ago, now faces one count of theft of major artwork for stealing the shoes from the famous 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz.”
In 2005, the slippers were taken from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, while on loan. Police reported that someone had broken into the museum through a window and took off with the shoes after smashing the case holding them.
Prosecutors say that Martin stole the slippers, which Garland wore in the movie, at a time when they were worth nearly $1 million, though current appraisals put them near $3.5 million.
An investigation from the FBI helped recover the slippers in 2018, over a decade after they were taken. However, upon their recovery, no arrests were made.
The slippers are one of the four remaining pairs used in the film and are viewed as one of the most recognizable pieces of memorabilia in American film history.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Fargo, North Dakota, is prosecuting the case. Terry Fan Horn, a spokesperson for the DOJ in North Dakota, said that no further information could be provided at this time.
Related
Related
