GRAND RAPIDS, Minnesota — Court documents reveal that prosecutors are requesting no prison time for a man who has admitted to his role in the theft of an iconic movie collectible from a northern Minnesota museum.
KARE 11 reports that Terry Jon Martin pleaded guilty in October to stealing the ruby slippers worn in The Wizard of Oz from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids in August of 2005. He admitted in federal court to using a sledgehammer to break through the museum doors and smash a glass case holding the slippers.
Martin told the courtroom that once he found out the slippers weren’t actually made of rubies, he got rid of them. He is scheduled to be sentenced later this month.
A pre-sentence investigation report reveals that prosecutors are recommending no additional prison time for the offense, or that the 76-year-old Martin be sentenced to house arrest because he is dying.
The submitted court documents note that the defendant now suffers from chronic COPD, is on oxygen at all times, confined to a wheelchair, and on a number of medications that cause numerous side effects. Prosecutors say he is expected to live less than six months.
Martin has a previous history involving robbery, theft, burglary and possessing and selling stolen property.
