Not Exactly a Criminal Mastermind

@paigea (35767)
Canada
October 30, 2016 5:51pm CST
This news item made me chuckle. A man in Sherwood Park, Alberta had three instruments stolen from his home. A banjo, a fiddle and a guitar. A few days later the thief entered a music store and tried to sell them the 3 instruments. One of the cases had a sticker on it from that music store. The man who's instruments had been stolen owned the music store. When the employee heard that the man had a banjo, a fiddle and a guitar to sell he agreed to buy them as he was pretty sure they would be his bosses missing instruments. The thief brought them in and the employee said he would have to keep them as they were stolen. Upon hearing that, the thief grabbed one of them and ran out. The staff got his licence number. I haven't heard if he was caught but I am sure he will be.
Just over a week after the two-time grand North American fiddle champion's prized fiddle and banjo were stolen from his Sherwood Park home, the instruments are now back where they belong.
35 people like this
33 responses
@DianneN (247219)
• United States
31 Oct 16
Nice to hear a good ending for a change. And lol! Idiot!
4 people like this
@paigea (35767)
• Canada
31 Oct 16
Idiot is right.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118590)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 Oct 16
Sometimes bad stories end up having a happy ending! And sometimes, crooks aren't very smart!
3 people like this
@moffittjc (118590)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 Oct 16
@paigea Maybe he doesn't know how to read? lol
1 person likes this
@paigea (35767)
• Canada
31 Oct 16
This one was not smart. Gave me a chuckle when I heard it.
2 people like this
@paigea (35767)
• Canada
31 Oct 16
@moffittjc This story surely belongs there. He could have seen that the store's sticker was on the case!
1 person likes this
@AmbiePam (85704)
• United States
31 Oct 16
I bet he's really nervous right now.
2 people like this
@paigea (35767)
• Canada
31 Oct 16
Hopefully he is caught by now. I heard it on the radio a couple of days ago.
@1hopefulman (45123)
• Canada
8 Nov 16
Well that sounds like music to my ears! I hope they get him and lock him away.
1 person likes this
@1hopefulman (45123)
• Canada
8 Nov 16
@paigea They should? He is a thief, isn't he?
1 person likes this
@paigea (35767)
• Canada
8 Nov 16
@1hopefulman It just seems like sometimes the sentance isn't jail time.
1 person likes this
@paigea (35767)
• Canada
8 Nov 16
I am sure he is caught by now. But if they have the goods back, will they actually give him jail time?
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64361)
• United Kingdom
1 Nov 16
That serves him right, and I hope he gets caught.
2 people like this
@paigea (35767)
• Canada
2 Nov 16
I hope so. They got his licence number so it should be easy.
2 people like this
@KnehKnah (3584)
• Philippines
8 Nov 16
Am glad because the stolen musical instruments arw now back to its owner.
2 people like this
@KnehKnah (3584)
• Philippines
8 Nov 16
@paigea Me too!
1 person likes this
@paigea (35767)
• Canada
8 Nov 16
I like a story with a happy ending.
2 people like this
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
31 Oct 16
a lot of dumb criminals out there. dumb to steal in the first place.
1 person likes this
@paigea (35767)
• Canada
31 Oct 16
Yes, and nice when they get caught.
1 person likes this
@tammys85 (29952)
• Baltimore, Maryland
1 Nov 16
What an idiot; for stealing in the first place and bringing them back to the store.
1 person likes this
@tammys85 (29952)
• Baltimore, Maryland
1 Nov 16
@paigea Oh I know, I read that in the post, he's an idiot lol. I hope they catch him since he was enough of a jerk to steal them in the first place.
2 people like this
@paigea (35767)
• Canada
1 Nov 16
He was a bit unlucky. He stole the instruments from the man's home and then went to sell them at a music store. Only the man owns the music store. But one of the cases had a sticker on it from that music store so he could easily have assumed that the people at the store had some connection to that instrument.
2 people like this
• Philippines
1 Nov 16
Wow, that was quite fast!
1 person likes this
@paigea (35767)
• Canada
2 Nov 16
Yes, it was a quick result!
@jstory07 (134706)
• Roseburg, Oregon
31 Oct 16
That was a smart employee that acted on what he knew and tried to get the instruments back.
1 person likes this
@paigea (35767)
• Canada
31 Oct 16
Yes. I guess it would have been quite a coincidence if someone was selling a banjo, fiddle and guitar a few days after those were the exact three stolen. So, he thought quickly.
2 people like this
@marlina (154165)
• Canada
10 Dec 16
A dumb thief! @paigea
1 person likes this
@paigea (35767)
• Canada
10 Dec 16
Dumb thief but it was an entertaining story to listen to on the radio.
• Eugene, Oregon
31 Oct 16
That is such a sweet ending!
1 person likes this
@paigea (35767)
• Canada
31 Oct 16
Yes, I got a kick out of it when I heard it on the radio.
1 person likes this
@just4him (307326)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
31 Oct 16
I'm glad the owner was able to get two of the instruments back and hope he gets the other as well.
1 person likes this
@just4him (307326)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
1 Nov 16
@paigea Me too.
1 person likes this
@paigea (35767)
• Canada
31 Oct 16
By now, he may have. I hope so.
1 person likes this
@norcal (4890)
• Franklinton, North Carolina
7 Nov 16
Great story!
1 person likes this
@paigea (35767)
• Canada
7 Nov 16
It gave me a chuckle.
1 person likes this
@salonga (27775)
• Philippines
1 Nov 16
Stupid thief! He will go to jail for sure, his world has gotten smaller.
@salonga (27775)
• Philippines
1 Nov 16
@paigea That's the trouble with people, once they get the things back they don't file case anymore this is why thieves just repeat stealing over and over again.
@paigea (35767)
• Canada
1 Nov 16
I wonder if he will go to jail. If they get everything back he may get off easy.
1 person likes this
@paigea (35767)
• Canada
1 Nov 16
@salonga That happens. But even if it goes to court, he might not get a very severe sentence since the instruments are all returned.
@Freelanzer (10744)
• Canada
8 Jan 17
That is what you call a dumb crimminal
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (206657)
• Walnut Creek, California
5 Nov 16
I enjoy stupid criminal stories. A friend of mine got her Martin HD-28 stolen at a music festival. We just don't expect that kind of thing at music festivals.
@TheHorse (206657)
• Walnut Creek, California
5 Nov 16
@paigea I go to the Grass Valley Father's Day Bluegrass festival every year. We leave our instruments lying all over the place and never think about it.
@paigea (35767)
• Canada
5 Nov 16
That is too bad. Yes, there are some places where we think our things should be safe.
1 person likes this
@paigea (35767)
• Canada
5 Nov 16
@TheHorse That is what we expect at a place like that. Like leaving our stuff out when we are camping. I have learned that there is a lot of theft at ski hills though, where everyone leaves their equipment outside when they go in for lunch.
1 person likes this
@CRK109 (14558)
• United States
31 Oct 16
What an idiot! I just hope he doesn't harm the instrument along the way. That would be tragic.
@CRK109 (14558)
• United States
1 Nov 16
@paigea I love this story. It's so ridiculous that it's hard to believe someone didn't just make it up, you know? Hard to believe people can ruin their lives so totally!
@paigea (35767)
• Canada
1 Nov 16
@CRK109 It is ridiculous. lol
1 person likes this
@paigea (35767)
• Canada
31 Oct 16
Yes, at least they got the two back right away. On the radio they did say the one instrument got dropped as the thief ran out but it was not damaged.
1 person likes this
@andriaperry (116860)
• Anniston, Alabama
31 Oct 16
Unbelievable!
1 person likes this
@paigea (35767)
• Canada
31 Oct 16
Just what I thought.
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
1 Nov 16
Now that is the world when it works at it's best---haha! I love it!
@paigea (35767)
• Canada
4 Nov 16
@MarymargII I know. What a way to live,
1 person likes this
@paigea (35767)
• Canada
2 Nov 16
Yes, if only we could count on results like that.
1 person likes this
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
4 Nov 16
@paigea ha! I'm sure they were shocked when they first realized how dumb they were!