BEL AIR, Md. — Stolen from Music Land by a traveling band of thieves in less than a minute’s time, it took detectives a matter of weeks to catch the criminals, but there was little hope of recovering a vintage Martin acoustic guitar.
But now, the $15,000 instrument has been returned no worse for wear and sounds just like it did when it was crafted back in 1947.
“I think everybody thought we were never going to see this guitar again, but we were just obviously pleasantly surprised and shocked and thrilled that it’s back home,” said Music Land Owner Larry Noto.
Bel Air police recovered stolen guitar worth $15K
Police cracked the case after a random call from out-of-state last month.
“We were contacted by a citizen in New Jersey who had purchased the contents of a storage unit,” said Sgt. Sergio D’Alto of the Bel Air Police Department.
A $200 online bid for a unit, sight unseen, that produces four guitars---all of obvious quality, which had been wrapped in blankets and dumped on the floor.
Actually, our original news coverage of both the theft and the subsequent arrests played a role in helping to identify the stolen guitar.
When the man who bought the unit recognized the stolen Martin and learned of its value, which is $15,000, he notified authorities that he had found the stolen goods.
Music Land’s owner says while the theft of the most valuable instrument he’s ever had in his store was a source of pain, loss and frustration, there’s a silver lining that now has him singing a different tune.
“The outpouring of support from people restores your faith in humanity that there are people out there rooting for you, people out there cheering for you and wanting the guitar to be returned,” said Noto, “and then the fact that this Samaritan does the right thing. He could easily have sold this. He could have as easily kept it for himself.”
