MINNESOTA MAN CHARGED IN RUBY RED SLIPPER THEFT

Christiana Lilly

The saga of the stolen ruby red slippers from “The Wizard of Oz” has ended in the indictment of a Minnesota man.

Terry J. Martin, 76, was charged by a federal grand jury with theft of major artwork, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office North Dakota Division.

The iconic footwear was stolen in 2005 from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids and recovered by the FBI 13 years later. The identity of the shoe caper was a mystery until the announcement on May 17. The museum posted the press release on its Facebook page, simply writing, “Ruby Slippers Update.”

When the Star Tribune newspaper called Martin, he only said, “I gotta go on trial. I don’t want to talk to you.” Janie Heitz, the executive director of the Judy Garland Museum, told the newspaper that his name didn’t ring any bells to the staff.

Martin allegedly broke into the museum in

2005 through the backdoor and then smashed the glass case where the shoes were stored. In a documentary from 2016, staff explained they didn’t want the shoes to be handled each and every night — possibly causing damage — and put in a vault. The museum’s alarm did not sound and no fingerprints were found. Finally, more than a decade later, the shoes were found in an undercover operation by the FBI. Worth about $3.5 million, the U.S. Attorney’s office says the pair was one of just four remaining pairs used in the movie.

The Dodgers apologized for rescinding the drag group’s invitation to Pride Night. The decision came after “much thoughtful feedback from our diverse communities, honest conversations within the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and generous discussions with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” the ball club stated.

Pressure from anti-LGBT hardline Catholics, persuaded the Dodgers to cancel plans to honor the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, fearing their presence would “distract from the great benefits that we have seen over the years of Pride Night.”

The controversy was stoked by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) who penned a letter objecting to the sisters being given a Community Hero Award at the June 16 game.

“Do you believe that the Los Angeles

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Dodgers are being ‘inclusive and welcoming to everyone’ by giving an award to a group of gay and trans drag performers that intentionally mocks and degrades Christians — and not only Christians, but nuns, who devote their lives to serving others?”

The nonprofit’s San Francisco Order refuted assertions they harbored anti-Catholic beliefs.

“Our ministry is real,” wrote Sister Rosie. “We promulgate universal joy, expiate stigmatic guilt and our use of religious trappings is a response to those faiths whose members would condemn us and seek to strip away the rights of marginalized communities.”

Upon learning of the sisters’ exclusion by the Dodgers, Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken invited them to attend Anaheim Angels Pride Night on June 7 as her guests.