Jerry Hal Saliterman, 77, of Crystal, Minn., was set to plead guilty in January to theft of a major artwork and witness tampering, but he’d been unable to appear in court due to ongoing health problems, including Parkinson’s disease, sepsis and lung damage.

Salitermann was accused of hiding the pair of ruby red slippers that were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Garland's hometown, Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in 2005. The slippers' location remained a mystery for 13 years before the FBI received a tip.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A federal judge dismissed the charges Monday against a Minnesota man accused of hiding a stolen pair of ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore in the 1939 musical “The Wizard of Oz” after prosecutors informed the court that he died on Sunday.