Man charged after theft of Judy Garland's ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz
18 May 2023, 20:27 | Updated: 19 May 2023, 01:21
A man has been charged after the iconic ruby red slippers from The Wizard of Oz were stolen.
The famous shoes were recovered in 2018 in a sting operation organised by the FBI - after being missing for more than 13 years.
When the slippers were stolen, they were insured for $1million (£800,000) but are now worth around $3.5million (£2.8million).
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Terry Martin, 76, is alleged to have taken the shoes from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, from which the famous LGBT ally hailed.
Martin is said to be from the area and told a US newspaper: "I gotta go on trial. I don't want to talk to you."
Janie Heitz, executive director of the Minnesota museum, said staff were "a little bit speechless" at the charge coming nearly two decades after the alleged crime.
The slippers were on loan to the museum when they were stolen. A person climbed through a window and broke a display case before they made off with the iconic footwear.
They are one of four pairs which were worn by Garland throughout filming.
