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.

Federal charges against a Minnesota man, accused of hiding a stolen pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, were dropped Monday after the man died.

Jerry Hal Saliterman, who died Sunday, was accused of keeping the shoes worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz” buried in his backyard.