Bill to buy ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz” introduced Friday
Minnesota legislators have introduced a bill to allocate money to the Minnesota Historical Society to purchase the iconic ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz.”
The slippers – one of four known pairs to exist – were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids in 2005. The alarm system didn’t go off and no fingerprints were left behind – just a single red sequin. They were recovered by the FBI during a sting operation in Minneapolis 13 years later.
For years, many speculated that the burglary was an inside job, but on Wednesday, 76-year-old Grand Rapids native Terry Martin was charged with stealing them. He has a previous felony conviction from 1986 for receiving stolen goods out of Hennepin County, and was unknown to employees of the museum.
The slippers are worth at least $100,000. The bill stipulates that the slippers must be publicly displayed by the Minnesota Historical Society, which can lease or loan them to the Judy Garland Museum.
The Daily Ozmapolitan 