MUSIC TO THEIR EARS: SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES RECOVER 17 GUITARS STOLEN FROM VALLEY MUSIC

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version Share this


Burgled bicycle-for-two advertised on Craig’s list leads to arrest of suspected serial thief

April 24, 2010 (El Cajon) – On Tuesday evening, a thief broke a window at Valley Music at 166 North Magnolia Avenue and stole 17 electric guitars. The loss was devastating for the Mom and Pop business, which was recently forced to relocate after losing the lease on its long-time storefront in downtown El Cajon. But on Saturday, the store owner received news that was music to her ears: Sheriff’s deputies recovered all 17 guitars, along with stolen items from other burglaries---at the home of a parolee.

“I’m ecstatic,” Andrea Long, owner of Valley Music, told East County Magazine. “If they hadn’t found everything so soon, I’m sure it would have been gone – taken to a swap meet or out of the city.”

The thief brazenly broke in by shattering a front window while a music teacher was in the back of the store. Not realizing anything was amiss, the teacher later left and set the alarm. “It didn’t go off until the Sheriff came the next morning,” Long said.

Two days before the Valley Music break-in, a Rancho San Diego resident reported that a tandem bicycle had been stolen from a trailer on his property. On April 22, the bike owner and his wife searched Craig’s List and found a for sale ad displaying their stolen bicycle-for-two. Sheriff Detectives Pete Carrillo and Patrick Hartigan from the Lemon Grove substation followed up on the lead.

On Thursday evening, the detectives were conducting surveillance in the 1500 block of Graves Avenue in El Cajon when they saw two young women riding the bicycle built for two, with a third person following closely behind on another bike.
 

Deputies tried to detain the three suspects. One male suspect fled on the bicycle and then on foot into an apartment complex, removing clothing in an effort to change his appearance. Deputies searched the complex and found the suspect hiding in an apartment bedroom.
 

They arrested Shane Motari, 35, a parolee living in El Cajon, on a parole violation. A search of the apartment revealed numerous other items stolen from the bicycle owner during the burglary. Those items were returned to the victim. Detectives also searched the attic—where they found all 17 guitars stolen from Valley Music. They also found burglary tools.
 

Detectives will continue their investigation to try and link additional property items to other recent burglary cases in the area. Total property recovered is estimated at several thousand dollars, according to the Sheriff’s office.
 

Motari was later booked in San Diego County Jail on possession of stolen property and burglary tools, as well as the parole violation.

 


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.