Fun_People Archive
3 Sep
Stolen Instruments Recovered?

Date: Sun, 3 Sep 95 11:41:48 -0700
From: Peter Langston <psl>
To: Fun_People
Subject: Stolen Instruments Recovered?

Forwarded-by: Terri Grayum <ladyluck@teleport.com>
Forwarded-by: Alan Rowoth <alanr@nysernet.org>
From: cn@hopper.unh.edu (Chifuru Noda)

I received more information on this (taking excerpts from newspaper articles):

Redwood city police want to find the rightful owners for what they suspect
may be 57 stolen guitars, banjos, saxophones, harmonics, amplifiers and
other accessories. These items were found during a San Francisco raid during
a complicated investigation. The serial numbers were checked but the police
have not had much luck so far.

The investigation started in December when a Pennsylvania music store sold
a Martin guitar to someone in Redwood City who used a stolen credit card.
About a month ago, the guitar turned up in a Palo Alto music store where a
man who bought it thru a classified ad took the guitar for appraisal.  The
Palo Alto store recognized the serial number. The man who brought in the
guitar is not the person who used the stolen card.

At this time, Detective Bates went undercover and visited a home in San
Francisco where he saw dozens of instruments. Later officers obtained a
search warrant and took possession of the instruments. Police determined
one guitar (Breedlove) as being reported stolen in Washington state.

By publicizing the investigation, police hope to reach the instruments'
owners and build a case against those who may be involved in instrument
thefts. If the owners are not located, the instruments will have to be
returned. Police want to hear from anyone whose musical instruments or
accessories may have been stolen in the past few years. Detective Bates can
be reached at 415-780-7100, The Redwood City Police, Redwood City,
California.

© 1995 Peter Langston