The Crystal Police Department has requested six additional charges against Jerry Hal Saliterman, a resident of that Minneapolis suburb who has already been charged with the theft of the famed ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz.”

Saliterman was indicted in March for his alleged role in the 2005 theft of the ruby slippers from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, where they were then being displayed while on loan from Hollywood collector Michael Shaw. The slippers were retrieved in 2018, but no charges were filed until last year.

Grand Rapids resident Terry Jon Martin confessed to breaking into the museum to steal the slippers; in January, the 76-year-old was placed on supervised release given his declining health. Saliterman is accused of receiving and concealing the stolen slippers, which he buried in his yard for years, authorities say.

In a news release dated Wednesday, the Crystal Police Department said it is asking the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office to add charges of organized retail theft, conspiracy to commit theft, receiving stolen property, domestic assault-harm, domestic assault-fear, and harassment against Saliterman.

According to the news release, the ruby slippers heist was just one job in a “retail crime ring” that Saliterman participated in for years. The requested charges of harassment and domestic assault are related, police say, to the suspect’s intimidation of his wife to prevent her from revealing the crime ring’s existence.

Martin never named the “old mob associate” who put him up to the theft, and told authorities he mistakenly believed the shoes were encrusted with actual rubies rather than costume sequins.

The Judy Garland Museum now has an exhibit and tours telling the story of the theft, which has attracted international attention. Earlier this year the slippers were returned to Shaw, who plans to sell them by auction later this year, according to museum director Janie Heitz.

The museum is currently fundraising in an effort to place the winning bid, and the state of Minnesota has earmarked $100,000 to contribute if a purchase moves forward. Prosecutors have estimated the slippers’ value at $3.5 million.

In a May 30 social media post, Gov. Tim Walz expressed confidence that the slippers will return permanently to the Northland.

“We’re buying Judy Garland’s damn slippers,” Walz wrote, “to make sure they remain safe at home in Grand Rapids — on display for all to enjoy — under 24/7, Ocean’s 11-proof security.”

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By: EMMANUEL ROY

Miami, Florida – Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, has been doing some behind-the-scenes maneuvering seeking to push Biden out of the presidential race. She carefully ironed out what she wanted to say yesterday on “Morning Joe,” Biden’s appointment viewing — keeping Democratic leaders abreast of her intentions. Pelosi argued on the program that the president needs to decide whether he will step down, reigniting the debate on the Hill after a day where Biden appeared to have at least quelled the call for him to withdraw from the presidential race. 

One person close to Pelosi said Pelosi’s comments on the show were a subtle green light, meant to encourage members to speak up about their desire to see change atop the ticket and warn Biden to reconsider staying in the race.

In private conversations with lawmakers, the former speaker hasn’t tried to hide her disdain for the party’s situation with an increasingly diminished Biden.  She’s suggested to people that Biden won’t win this November and should step aside, according to about a half-dozen lawmakers and others who have spoken with her or are familiar with these conversations.

The former speaker has gone as far as advising swing districts to do whatever they have to do to secure their reelections — even if it means asking Biden to relinquish his place atop the ticket.  However, Pelosi has advised those members to wait until this week’s NATO Summit is finished out of respect for Biden and national security. Some members have already started drafting statements of what they want to say, ready to drop once foreign leaders leave town.

For members in non-swing districts, PELOSI has encouraged them to take their pleas for Biden to step aside directly to the White House or the campaign to minimize public fighting. We are told that some have tried but cannot get through to the president.

PELOSI, who has publicly said she supports whatever Biden chooses, denied pretty much all of this reporting through a spokesman last night, including that she told anyone Biden should step aside. “Publicly and privately, Speaker Pelosi has acknowledged the concerns that many have expressed in recent days but has repeatedly said that she fully supports whatever President Biden decides to do.”

Meanwhile, Pelosi’s words on “Morning Joe” clearly hit their mark. Yesterday alone, two Democrats solidly in Biden’s camp earlier this week appeared to raise alarms about Biden’s ability to win a second term in November.  Two additional House Democrats — Rep. EARL BLUMENAUER (Ore.) and PAT RYAN (N.Y.) — called for Biden to step aside, as did Sen. PETER WELCH(D-Vt.).

The news about Pelosi and Obama comes as Schumer has reportedly told donors that he’s open to a new presidential ticket that doesn’t include Biden.  Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries has told lawmakers that he plans to convey his members’ concerns to the big guy in the Oval Office himself — though it’s unclear when Jeffries and Biden will speak next. 

Closely held discussions between Pelosi, Obama, and other bigwigs in the Democratic Party suggest that Democratic leaders are seriously contemplating what many in their party called a “fantasy” just two weeks ago—that Biden might indeed have to go.

And quite frankly, at Biden’s age, he should retire and allow a new and younger generation to take over. Whether that new generation includes Vice President Kamala Harris is yet to be proven.