Midwest Man Allegedly Stole The Most Famous Shoes On Earth

They say there's no place like home...and hopefully, this Hollywood artifact will be able to finally tap their heels three times and go home.

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Nearly twenty years ago, the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota put on display one of the most iconic pair of shoes in cinema history; THE ruby slippers from 'The Wizard of Oz.'  Garland was born and raised in Grand Rapids, and the museum is located in her childhood home.

In August of 2005, a Minnesota man allegedly stole the famous shoes from the museum. Nearly thirteen years after the theft, both the FBI and Grand Rapids Police Department recovered the artifacts, according to reports.

They are one of four pairs of shoes that were used for filming the classic movie. At the time of the theft, they were insured for about $1 million dollars. Today, they are probably worth $3.5 million.

People scoured all over to find these shoes. There were rumors that it might have been thrown to the bottom of a nearby lake. Luckily, they were rediscovered in an undercover operation near Minneapolis in 2018.

Now, Terry Martin of Minnesota has been indicted by a federal grand jury with theft of an object of cultural heritage from the care, custody, or control of a museum; and one count of theft of major artwork, according to a report from the Justice Department.

The reason that this is finally going to court is because investigators believed that the shoes changed hands a time or two, so they had to track down the original thief.

This case is ongoing, so we will keep you updated on the latest developments made in this high stakes incident.

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