Minnesota man indicted in theft of ‘Wizard of Oz’ ruby slippers

(CN) — A Minnesota man faces federal charges in the 2005 theft of Dorothy's fabled ruby slippers from the 1939 classic film “The Wizard of Oz.”

A federal grand jury indicted Terry Jon Martin on a count of theft of an object of cultural heritage from the care, custody, or control of a museum, according to federal prosecutors in North Dakota. 

The cinematic relics were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, the hometown of Garland, who portrayed protagonist Dorothy Gale.

The slippers were one set of four known remaining pairs of ruby slippers used in the film’s production and held a current market value of roughly $3.5 million.        

Shortly after the theft of the slippers, a $1 million reward was offered to anyone who turned in the slippers. The offer expired in 2015 when, after a decade, no one came forward.  

FBI agents and the Grand Rapids Police Department recovered the slippers in July 2018, though details on the recovery efforts remain unclear. 

Prosecutors say the slippers were on loan to the Judy Garland Museum when a culprit snuck through a window and shattered a display case to snatch the magical footwear.  

Dorothy’s slippers got their iconic red coloring after director Victor Fleming thought that ruby slippers would be more visually appealing when shooting in color than the source material’s silver slippers. The shoes are made from about a dozen different materials, including wood pulp, silk thread, gelatin, plastic and glass. Sequins give the shoes most of their red color, though the bows on the shoes contain red glass beads.

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