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The iconic ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz” took center stage in a new court case this week.
Originally worn by actress Judy Garland as Dorothy in the 1939 film, the famed bejeweled ruby slippers has continued making headlines since they were first stolen in 2005, later recovered in a 2018 FBI sting operation.
Minnesota native Terry Martin, 76, was indicted by a grand jury on charges that he allegedly stole the ruby slippers Wednesday in North Dakota, according to AP News.
Dorothy’s ruby slippers have been copied in many forms by shoes designers, but no one, to our knowledge, has been able to infuse them with magic that transports us home.
(L-R): Judy Garland, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, and Ray Bolger dressed in character as Dorothy Gale, Cowardly Lion, Tin Man, and Scarecrow from the film The Wizard of Oz. CREDIT: Bettmann Archive
The indictment for Martin, who was charged with one count of theft of a major artwork, has not divulged any additional information about him.
However, it has been revealed that Martin lived 12 miles south of the Judy Garland Museum — which annually hosts the “Wizard of Oz” festival — in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, where the ruby slippers were stolen through a break-in through a window while on loan from Hollywood memorabilia collector Michael Shaw, according to reports.
Shaw was given an insurance payment for the ruby slippers in 2012, according to the museum’s director.
In the years since the 2005 theft, multiple rewards have been offered for the slippers’ return — one of four remaining pairs of the original ruby slippers worn by Garland, which were insured for $1 million but are currently valued at $3.5 million. Near the case’s start, law enforcement offered $250,000 for their return, later raised in 2015 to $1 million by an anonymous Arizona donor.
In 2017, a man told the shoes’ insurer that he could assist in getting the ruby slippers back, resulting in an FBI investigation that lasted nearly 1 year. The pair was then recovered in 2018 in Minneapolis — with no original charges or arrests made at the time.
Currently, Martins’ court appearance has been initially set for June 1 over video. U.S. Justice Department spokesman for North Dakota, Terry Van Horn, said he couldn’t provide any additional information outside of the indictment at this time.
As far as the additional ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz” are concerned, the three other pairs are held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Smithsonian and a private collector.
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