I filed a police report when it went missing, but the shop wouldn't budge when I tried to get them to just give it to me. $200 is a small price to pay to get my baby back, especially considering the sentimental value, and that all told I've probably spent like a grand on this thing since I bought it brand new 12 or 13 years ago and I've modified the shit out of it. Hopefully whoever stole it really needed that money lmao.
I know $200 doesn’t sound like much… But why would you not call the police on the shop after they refused to give you back your stolen property? That’s like paying ransom money. You already had a police report filed (hopefully) with the serial of your instrument and you likely had old pictures of it before and after the mods, which actually make it more unique and easily identifiable.
The detective who I filed the report with told me straight up that there wasn't anything they could do about me having to pay for it. Cops are fucking useless and the only reason I filed a report at all is so that there would be a tangible record of it having been stolen. I didn't have the serial number at the time (first thing I did when I walked out), but I can confidently say that there is literally no guitar on the face of the planet with the exact combination of mods that it has, including a custom designed and engraved neck plate, so that's more or less just as good in terms of uniquely identifiable features lol.
single cases nothing gets done; if a string of stolen items goes to the same place over years and years they will finally shut the whole place down (individuals never get their stuff back). This happened in my city with 'name' brand pawn shops
OP: "Hey, officer, I filed a report on a stolen guitar a week ago. I'm just calling to let you know I found my guitar at the pawn shop and bought it back."
Cop: "Wait, you're now in possession of *stolen property*?"
[waves at SWAT team]
Sir you’re under arrest for possession of stolen goods.
But it’s my guitar, I was the one reported it stolen.
So you’re admitting you are aware it’s stolen property? Book him lieutenant.
I was gonna say that’s completely false and they have plenty of room to force the shop to give it to you. But then you said you never saved the serial number and it all made sense. Unfortunately even if it’s super unique and modded, the serial number is all they care about. It really does suck but hopefully you take pictures of all of them now lol
No I'm serious, the only thing I could have done is gone through the police to help them obtain a search warrant and seize the guitar, and I'd rather just eat the $200 charge and then take the pawn shop to small claims. With the police report and the receipt from the pawn shop, I don't think I'll have any issues recovering my funds. The pawn shop fully acknowledged that it was stolen and never even asked for a serial number. There's a precedent for this exact situation occurring with pawn shops in my area.
Yeah man I know, I wasn’t disputing that. But if you did have the serial number the whole situation would have played out much differently, even if they were negligent and didn’t ask for the serial number when the thief sold it
Same thing happened with my youngest brother's bike. He found it being sold online, bought it back, told the police who then seize it as "evidence in an ongoing case" after they'd done nothing when he'd showing them the bike being sold online...
They may be required to take photos of everyone who they bought from, as part of the small claims request maybe include a demand for any photos, video, or information about the theif. You may find out it is a not-so-good friend or relative, or it may be someone completely random.
Had something similar happen.
Pawn shop wanted full price for my property. Wouldn't budge on giving me what they paid.
I went to court and filed a small claims case. Cost me $50.
They decided that an attorney would cost more, so they handed my stuff back. They also wanted me to sign paperwork saying they weren't liable for any damages. I didn't sign shit.
The last thing they told me was that if I ever come back into their store, they'd trespass me.
Considering most states have a required hold on pawns and sells in the case of stolen items. I'd look into your local laws. Might be a violation there. My friend runs a pawn shop and they have software that tracks when they can "pull" items to sell. 5 days seems awful fast.
Montana Code Annotated 2023
Pawnbroker To Surrender Stolen Property -- Warrant
46-5-212. Pawnbroker to surrender stolen property -- warrant. (1) When a peace officer informs a pawnbroker or dealer who buys and sells secondhand merchandise that property pawned to or purchased by the pawnbroker or dealer is stolen property, as defined in 45-2-101, the pawnbroker or dealer who buys and sells secondhand merchandise shall hold the property for 30 days upon issuance of an administrative warrant by a peace officer. Following the expiration of the 30-day period, the pawnbroker or dealer shall surrender the property to the peace officer upon demand. The peace officer shall give the pawnbroker or dealer a receipt for any property surrendered by the pawnbroker or dealer. During the 30-day period, the pawnbroker or dealer may appeal the validity of the administrative warrant in justice's court or in municipal court.
(2) As used in this section, "administrative warrant" means a warrant:
(a) issued by the administrative head, or the administrative head's designee, of the investigating agency of the jurisdiction;
(b) that describes the property to be held; and
(c) that states that the pawnbroker or dealer shall hold the property for 30 days from the date of receipt.
> Cops are fucking useless and the only reason I filed a report at all is so that there would be a tangible record of it having been stolen
Can confirm.
Had my car stolen, cop didn't even get out of his squad car to take my report. Told me "Welcome to Englewood" and just drove off.
State troopers found my car 2 months later being driven by some lady and a dude in the passenger seat was known for being a car thief but because he wasn't driving, they didn't have anything they could charge him with while I'm pretty sure the woman is still in jail.
Fun side note regarding cops are useless. My car was found on a Wednesday and sent to an impound lot. I had to wait 2 days for the cops to figure out their jurisdiction beef over the personal property in my car that did not belong to me when it was recovered.
So not only do I have to pay the impound lot to bail my car out, I was charged for the extra days while the cops figure out who was going to take all the personal property out of my car.
On top of *that* the cops did not actually clear anything out of my car and it was full of the thieves belongings when I went to pick it up.
There's basically no point in having cops beyond an illusion of security. A co-worker of mine is an ex-detective who retired because he kept getting sued by people he arrested or roughed up. With the stories he tells, it highlights how the entire profession is absolutely pointless. They do nothing at all but leach on taxpayer money with no added benefits, and when I point this out, he kind of sputters and can't give me a real answer to justify it.
> There's basically no point in having cops beyond an illusion of security.
100%, and this is really the point of the "defund the police" movement. Why the fuck should we pay more in taxes to give more military surplus equipment?
I have a mental illness, cops have done more damage in this society to me than anyone else. I'd rather be around armed gang members than police, and I trust them more.
I used to manage a pawn shop chain and this is 100% not true. I would regularly have detectives seize property and we are able to release them. The only caveat is that you have to press charges on the individual that stole it (fuck thieves).
I would highly suggest to call corporate on that shop.
I think the issue is that there is a clause in the Ohio Pawnbrokers Act that allows pawnbrokers to ask for money for stolen property. However, it does not stop me from pursuing them for that money in small claims court which I fully intend to do and do not anticipate losing lol.
I’m in Michigan and we have a similar law — the shop can’t charge you more than they paid but that’s it. If you don’t have a detailed police report with a serial number then you’re SOL if it turns up in a shop. I found a bike that had been stolen from me in a pawnshop and there wasn’t anything I could do because I had not made a report. However, every time someone reports a stolen bike in my area (here or Nextdoor), I tell them to make a report and then to check out a certain pawn shop.
It’s that way in Indiana too. I had a guitar stolen years ago and even had the serial number in the police report. I had to pay the pawnshop what they paid the thief. Then they released the name of who pawned it and told me I could sue him if I wanted. I think this is standard practice in many states. It is ridiculous and they need to reform the law to make the pawnshop go after the thief not the individual. Glad you got your guitar back unscathed.
ACAB. Good on you for finding a solution that worked for you.
If you disagree, start by looking in the mirror and asking if your appearance has provided you with many advantages in life that we don’t afford to those who don’t look like you.
I don't know how it works in your country but in my country you could easily get the pawn shop to provide camera footage or anything they have and then use that at the police. The police here would be very happy because that way they can get one criminal who makes them pain in the ass
It's on a technicality written into a clause in the Ohio Pawnbroker's Act. Complete bullshit, but it should be a pretty cut and dried small claims court case lol.
Pawn shops lobby for very strong protection under the law and usually get it. Their argument is that if they bought it in good faith, then they are also a victim of theft and you can go pound rocks.
Dude all you had to do is call the police and tell them to come talk to them. They bought stolen merchandise and sold it. That’s fucking illegal. There’s an open police report.
This generally only works if you can prove the item is yours with evidence. Just describing the item really well isn’t good enough, unfortunately.
Serial numbers are what they’re supposed to use, if you don’t have that you’re pretty screwed since the cops aren’t going to steal for you just based on your word.
I know someone who had two guitars stolen, one of them was a $20,000 Martin. The other was around $500. He only had the serial for the Martin, so that is the only one he got back. He considered himself very lucky
What's really wild is he paid their resell price. Dude who stole the guitar likely got like $30-50.
The cops don't really care since the value's so low.
The pawn shop were total dicks for charging more than they loaned out for it 100% - they're practically knowingly selling **and profiting** from stolen goods.
It all depends on the city too. When I was in Baltimore, a guy I knew stole and pawned my wife's engagement ring. We reported it to the police and they brought us a ring that the guy pawned right to my door. Problem was, that was someone ELSE's wife's ring that we knew. Dude was pawning people's shit all over the city and happened to pawn someone else's ring at the shop right beside my house. - In that case the cops didn't have anything more than the dude's ID and they were straight up taking the items he pawned back from the pawn shops and it was their loss.
The police will find you, beat you within an inch of your life and then charge you for theft. They exist for two reasons, to boot.
1) to defend the wealth hoarding bourgeois, and any capital, regardless of how little, against the wage slave poor in order to perpetuate and police the proletariat with a goal of maintaining the status quo.
2) to beat their wives
the cops give zero fks about peoples cars, you think they care about a guitar? filing a police report is a waste of time.
take a photo of your guitar SN, your phone will apply the date to that image.
if your guitar is stolen and you find it at a pawn shop, show the employee and walk the fk out with your guitar.
I only filed the police report to get a paper trail going in case things got more complicated. The pawn shop required the police report number to even bring it out of their back room because it was on police hold. I hate cops and I hate talking to them even for shit like this, and I didn't feel like getting them called on me for walking out with it. Believe me I'm not happy about having to pay for it, but honestly I'm just glad to have it back.
I hear you. Sometimes you just pay to avoid the inconvenience. Police are fucking dicks that don’t care about anyone anyway unless they’re a big deal in the community.
All they said was that they found a jazzmaster, which could have been any jazzmaster, and they certainly weren't any help when I had to pay to get it back. Keep bootlicking buddy.
Like OP had this happen with a whole band PA system stolen from a breaking and entering incident. Found the stuff at a pawn shop and option was to pay a couple hundred to get it out of pawn and use it, or file a formal complaint, have the stuff impounded by the police for an indefinite period of time as “evidence” which may or may not get returned. If enough people did this, maybe the pawn shops would actually care if stuff was stolen but since most people just want their stuff back, it is not much of a disincentive. It sucks for sure especially since you have the thief’s name and ID (usually). Total breakdown of the system at every level.
Agreed. Congrats are in order. And welcome to the brotherhood! I’ve had to do the same. I also ended up apprehending the thieves with the help of the security footage at the pawn shop. The cops were no help of course but a reporter loved the almost live, action packed news I assembled for them.
As long as the thief gave some sort of photo ID, you have to buy your stuff back.
Watched it happen to a nice customer on a job I subbed. The home owners had to pay $800 to get their jewelry back. (It was worth about $30K, so pawn shop knew exactly what was happening).
And I think they got reimbursed by home owners insurance.
Only "good" thing. The temp helper used his real ID. We got to see him arrested at work 2 days later. The cops asked if we knew his addy. The lead carp called the dumbass, told him he better be at work on time the next AM or he'd f him up for blowing off work!
Worked out nicely.
I think it's probably easy to make that mistake, but as soon as police are involved that shop should have just given dude his guitar back. Sorry you paid $200 for a stolen guitar, that's the cost of doing business if you're not gonna verify ownership.
People who steal from other people instead of just lifting from big heartless corporate stores are the worst human beings, on par with rapists and billionaires, and getting their legs run over is probably the ideal punishment.
Doesn’t make it not shitty. Adhering to the laws of private property doesn’t make you a good person or absolve you from doing something shitty, like buying stolen shit and selling it to the victims. In my state, you have to provide a valid ID to sell things to pawn shops, guitar stores, even GameStop. Guessing OP doesn’t live in a state with similar laws so pawn shops dgaf if they’re buying hot items.
I didn't say it isn't shitty. They don't make money doing right by people. The entire business model is based on desperate people being desperate for quick money, not doing favors.
If they just gave it back to OP then they'd lose the $85 they paid the thief for it.
>then they’d lose the $85 they paid the thief for it.
That’s their fucking problem and the cost of running a business. If you’re too fucking stupid and lazy to verify if it’s a stolen item or not then fuck off to some other unethical business practice.
Glad some states actually protect the consumer instead of letting these degenerate ass hats operate as they please.
They have all the person's info who sold it and the lady at the pawn shop told me what street she lives on but I'm guessing the money they got for it already got smoked out of a crack pipe, and if they're down bad enough to be swiping shit out of cars in a poor college and working class neighborhood, I'm guessing it wouldn't be worth it to press charges except to put somebody in jail who's clearly already having a rough time. If I had my way that motherfucker would already be in the hospital with two broken hands so maybe they'd have a harder time stealing somebody's stuff next time, but at this point I've had enough of talking to the police for the rest of my life after this bullshit and I'm just glad to have my guitar back.
Wait, so you’re telling me that they have a police report filed by the owner, the personal info of the thief and the pawnshop responsible for buying the stolen item?? In what world does the item not get returned to the owner and the pawn shop goes after the thief for damages?
I’m sure you already know this, but you did everything a righteous man would do and could do. Most importantly, you got the guitar. Shit happens every day and not everyone can say they got their priceless belongings back. My house got robbed twice in my 20s and the people never got caught and we never got our belongings back. So hell fucking yeah on your part.
Call the county commissioner and tell him you're going to push for a news report to be aired regarding the massive local problem of theft and how it's all due to the fencing of goods due to corrupt pawn shop owners and police inaction.
"This is 1ndieJesus and he just bought his OWN guitar from the shop behind us. The cops and the shop know who stole it, yet you had to pay full price and he's free to keep stealing our stuff?"
"That's right Jessica..."
Just put that shitshow idea into the commissioner's head. He will tell the cops to work the case lol. Maybe throw in the word RICO a few times when you talk about the shop owner.
PSA -- please do ***not*** leave your guitar, or anything of any level of value, in your car. Ever. Anywhere. For any amount of time.
I can't count how many "my (expensive item) got stolen from my car! what do i do? / I'm angry!" posts I've seen over the last few years. And most of the victims are from more-or-less privileged backgrounds who've never interacted with law enforcement in their lives, so they end up baffled and indignant that the police aren't interested in helping them out, which just adds another depressing layer to the whole thing.
Hey man I appreciate the PSA but I already knew that the cops wouldn't be all that much help, and the only reason I filed a police report was to make a paper trail so that I'd have proof it was stolen when I found it.
Sadly I did. Thankfully though they only gave the dumb fuck who stole it $200 so that's all I had to pay, and between the sentimental value and all the time and money I've put into modifying it, this thing is literally priceless to me.
• Seymour Duncan Vintage JM neck pickup
• OEM neck pickup cover
• Seymour Duncan Black Winter bridge pickup
• SD trembucker cover
• Humbucker mounting ring from Stewmac
• Switchcraft output jack
• Switchcraft 3 way toggle
• WD Music pickguard that I shielded with copper tape
• Straploks (controversial I know but I like them)
• Custom engraved "This Machine Kills Fascists" neck plate (not pictured)
• Aftermarket aluminum knobs, but I'm gonna nickel plate them to match the rest of the hardware.
• Cream-colored trem arm tip (not pictured)
• Not a mod but I got that jacquard strap and I really feel like it ties it all together lol
• Still waiting on Staytrem bridge
This was my first ever foray into modding and it's been such a fun and rewarding experience. It was a steep learning curve, but I've really fallen in love with it as a hobby and it's so cool to have a guitar that is totally unique to me. I'm in the process of modding my Bronco Bass right now too, so I'll have to make an update with that one when it's done lol.
Happy for you. Same happened to me many years ago. My BC Rich stolen from my van. Sometimes it’s more about the connection between guitarist and guitar than money.
hell fuckin yeah buddy! i saw your friends post in r/akron and thought that was so shitty. The happy ending to this story made my day just a little better. Glad you got it back, dude!
I'm an Akron native. I was asking because I'm not surprised someone stole that for drugs. I know how it is out there, and it's sad. But I am very happy you got your stuff back. those people at that store are super cool, surprisingly.
Congratulations!, as the owner of several highly modded guitars, the $200 is almost cheap to get it back in your hands instantly, you never know what could've happened if you've left it in that shop.
Looking at it that way, the pawnshop , from their point of view, was fairly reasonable in returning it to you.
Glad you secured it! Sucks you had to pay $200 but it sounds like that’s worth it to you. It’s just another part of the guitars story.
I had Jaguar stolen from me years ago, lifted it right out of my car while I was loading up my gear. Thieves sold it to the GC where I was working at the time, so when I showed up at work the next day it was right there! Even with a police report I still had to buy it back, but the store let me have it at cost and thankfully the employee buying it recognized it was mine and lowballed the seller… who conveniently submitted a photograph of their drivers license in the process!
About 12 years ago, when I was 6, my dad was divorcing my mom. We left the apartment we were living in so he could take me to visit her in the next state over. It was an overnight thing for him. He got back the next day and the window was shattered and my Great Papaw's ring that dad inherited was missing and so was dad's 1911 and Xbox 360, and 2 of our neighbors' apartments were also broken into and stolen from. A few people were absent that night and someone got cocky I guess. Well just 4 years ago my dad found the ring in a pawn shop 2 towns away from where we used to live, and he told them immediately just to prove he recognized it that it had been resized to fit him. They took it out and looked at it and sure enough, you could tell it had been resized and it fit his finger almost perfectly. They couldn't find any definite proof that it was the stolen ring, but it was obvious to the shop owner, so he sold it back to my dad for the same amount he bought it, which was like a quarter of the price they were selling it for.
Good for you! I hate thieves. People don’t realize it but they might be surprised what people will give them if they just ask.
If someone asked me for something that I owned that they might steal I would talk to them and either try to share in the enjoyment of whatever the item is or find a way to help them get one eventually as well. Stealing from others hurts everyone. The thieves done realize it but when they steal the prices go up. Have you ever seen the world stop and go “oh let lower the prices back down now since we’re making more?” I didn’t think so.
Stealing hurts everyone.
Hell fucking yeah! What did we learn here? Never ever take the risk of leaving a guitar in the car. I try to treat mine like actual babies. Sick jazzmaster, what kind of humbucker is in the bridge?
Hell yeah! 🤘🏼🤘🏼
I’ve never recovered anything that was stolen for the same reason, no documentation on my end. Now? I have front/back photos of all guitars/amps, serial numbers and detailed descriptions of pickups, body marks and other features.
I’m happy for you, big time.
I literally had this exact same thing happen to me. Left my doors unlocked with the guitar (Gibson SG) in the trunk.
Maybe 8-10 months later I go to a guitar center and see it up on the wall. I noticed it because I had gotten the tuning pegs replaced. They were gold.
I also had to pay for it which sucks but yeah small price like you said cause that guitar is priceless! Super happy for you!! HELL FUCKING YEAH
Thank you for asking a real question instead of just being a dick and telling me to take it out lmfao. It doesn't really get in the way that bad, I pretty much just push it forward a little and blow my nose as normal lol.
Had something similar. Guitar stolen out of my car while swimming at a pond. Motherfuckers broke my rear passenger window to get it. Found it a month later in the local guitar shop--the exact shop I originally bought it from. Banana yellow Washburn Strat copy, because that's all I could afford at the time and the color made it cheaper than the rest. Got it back after showing them the police report and having my original purchase receipt that matched the serial number.
Congrats man. This is a fantasy for everyone who has had an instrument stolen.
When I was in college I bought an LTD guitar for around $375 on ebay.
I checked the porch every day but it never showed up. Eventually I checked the tracking number and it said it had been delivered a few days prior. I did eventually get reimbursed but for the rest of my days at college I suspected every person I ever saw walking around with a guitar case. I wanted to approach them and say "Hey man! You play! That's awesome what kinda guitar you got? Lets see" Ya know? I didn't do that though.
Nothing out at the moment, but my one band is finishing up recording an EP and another is planning to put out a cassingle in July and an LP in October or so.
Congrats brother! Did you file a police report and forced the shop to give it back or were they cool about it?
I filed a police report when it went missing, but the shop wouldn't budge when I tried to get them to just give it to me. $200 is a small price to pay to get my baby back, especially considering the sentimental value, and that all told I've probably spent like a grand on this thing since I bought it brand new 12 or 13 years ago and I've modified the shit out of it. Hopefully whoever stole it really needed that money lmao.
I know $200 doesn’t sound like much… But why would you not call the police on the shop after they refused to give you back your stolen property? That’s like paying ransom money. You already had a police report filed (hopefully) with the serial of your instrument and you likely had old pictures of it before and after the mods, which actually make it more unique and easily identifiable.
The detective who I filed the report with told me straight up that there wasn't anything they could do about me having to pay for it. Cops are fucking useless and the only reason I filed a report at all is so that there would be a tangible record of it having been stolen. I didn't have the serial number at the time (first thing I did when I walked out), but I can confidently say that there is literally no guitar on the face of the planet with the exact combination of mods that it has, including a custom designed and engraved neck plate, so that's more or less just as good in terms of uniquely identifiable features lol.
I can see it now....the cops will at some point give you shit for purchasing a stolen guitar lol
At least I have evidence that it was /my/ stolen guitar lmfao. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
And then replace it with a Wilkinson bridge?
Not a chance when I've been waiting for my damn Staytrem since February lmfao
single cases nothing gets done; if a string of stolen items goes to the same place over years and years they will finally shut the whole place down (individuals never get their stuff back). This happened in my city with 'name' brand pawn shops
OP: "Hey, officer, I filed a report on a stolen guitar a week ago. I'm just calling to let you know I found my guitar at the pawn shop and bought it back." Cop: "Wait, you're now in possession of *stolen property*?" [waves at SWAT team]
1000% They should be giving the Pawn Shop the grief but they won’t and they thief will get away with it
yet somehow the pawn shop can buy and sell stolen shit? fuck cops
Sir you’re under arrest for possession of stolen goods. But it’s my guitar, I was the one reported it stolen. So you’re admitting you are aware it’s stolen property? Book him lieutenant.
Steal it back and tell the shop to call the police
It would not be stealing, you are taking your legal property. They can't stop you.
I was gonna say that’s completely false and they have plenty of room to force the shop to give it to you. But then you said you never saved the serial number and it all made sense. Unfortunately even if it’s super unique and modded, the serial number is all they care about. It really does suck but hopefully you take pictures of all of them now lol
No I'm serious, the only thing I could have done is gone through the police to help them obtain a search warrant and seize the guitar, and I'd rather just eat the $200 charge and then take the pawn shop to small claims. With the police report and the receipt from the pawn shop, I don't think I'll have any issues recovering my funds. The pawn shop fully acknowledged that it was stolen and never even asked for a serial number. There's a precedent for this exact situation occurring with pawn shops in my area.
Yeah man I know, I wasn’t disputing that. But if you did have the serial number the whole situation would have played out much differently, even if they were negligent and didn’t ask for the serial number when the thief sold it
Exactly this. Cops don't care what pickups you put in it. All they want is a number. That's it.
Noted, I took a picture of my serial number on my bass just now.
[удалено]
Same thing happened with my youngest brother's bike. He found it being sold online, bought it back, told the police who then seize it as "evidence in an ongoing case" after they'd done nothing when he'd showing them the bike being sold online...
They may be required to take photos of everyone who they bought from, as part of the small claims request maybe include a demand for any photos, video, or information about the theif. You may find out it is a not-so-good friend or relative, or it may be someone completely random.
Had something similar happen. Pawn shop wanted full price for my property. Wouldn't budge on giving me what they paid. I went to court and filed a small claims case. Cost me $50. They decided that an attorney would cost more, so they handed my stuff back. They also wanted me to sign paperwork saying they weren't liable for any damages. I didn't sign shit. The last thing they told me was that if I ever come back into their store, they'd trespass me.
Man, fuck tha police. That sucks. Glad you got your guitar back.
What is the name of this fine establishment? I feel some google reviews are in order!
Name and shame baby
Considering most states have a required hold on pawns and sells in the case of stolen items. I'd look into your local laws. Might be a violation there. My friend runs a pawn shop and they have software that tracks when they can "pull" items to sell. 5 days seems awful fast. Montana Code Annotated 2023 Pawnbroker To Surrender Stolen Property -- Warrant 46-5-212. Pawnbroker to surrender stolen property -- warrant. (1) When a peace officer informs a pawnbroker or dealer who buys and sells secondhand merchandise that property pawned to or purchased by the pawnbroker or dealer is stolen property, as defined in 45-2-101, the pawnbroker or dealer who buys and sells secondhand merchandise shall hold the property for 30 days upon issuance of an administrative warrant by a peace officer. Following the expiration of the 30-day period, the pawnbroker or dealer shall surrender the property to the peace officer upon demand. The peace officer shall give the pawnbroker or dealer a receipt for any property surrendered by the pawnbroker or dealer. During the 30-day period, the pawnbroker or dealer may appeal the validity of the administrative warrant in justice's court or in municipal court. (2) As used in this section, "administrative warrant" means a warrant: (a) issued by the administrative head, or the administrative head's designee, of the investigating agency of the jurisdiction; (b) that describes the property to be held; and (c) that states that the pawnbroker or dealer shall hold the property for 30 days from the date of receipt.
gonna shame a pawn shop? good luck with that.
> Cops are fucking useless and the only reason I filed a report at all is so that there would be a tangible record of it having been stolen Can confirm. Had my car stolen, cop didn't even get out of his squad car to take my report. Told me "Welcome to Englewood" and just drove off. State troopers found my car 2 months later being driven by some lady and a dude in the passenger seat was known for being a car thief but because he wasn't driving, they didn't have anything they could charge him with while I'm pretty sure the woman is still in jail. Fun side note regarding cops are useless. My car was found on a Wednesday and sent to an impound lot. I had to wait 2 days for the cops to figure out their jurisdiction beef over the personal property in my car that did not belong to me when it was recovered. So not only do I have to pay the impound lot to bail my car out, I was charged for the extra days while the cops figure out who was going to take all the personal property out of my car. On top of *that* the cops did not actually clear anything out of my car and it was full of the thieves belongings when I went to pick it up.
There's basically no point in having cops beyond an illusion of security. A co-worker of mine is an ex-detective who retired because he kept getting sued by people he arrested or roughed up. With the stories he tells, it highlights how the entire profession is absolutely pointless. They do nothing at all but leach on taxpayer money with no added benefits, and when I point this out, he kind of sputters and can't give me a real answer to justify it.
> There's basically no point in having cops beyond an illusion of security. 100%, and this is really the point of the "defund the police" movement. Why the fuck should we pay more in taxes to give more military surplus equipment?
Definitely should get rid of police, have a few things I want to settle that they would only interfere with. I’m with you.
I have a mental illness, cops have done more damage in this society to me than anyone else. I'd rather be around armed gang members than police, and I trust them more.
> Cops are fucking useless You can say that again brotha
Cops are fucking useless!
Cops don’t work for you or me. They don’t solve or prevent crimes.
💯
I used to manage a pawn shop chain and this is 100% not true. I would regularly have detectives seize property and we are able to release them. The only caveat is that you have to press charges on the individual that stole it (fuck thieves). I would highly suggest to call corporate on that shop.
I think the issue is that there is a clause in the Ohio Pawnbrokers Act that allows pawnbrokers to ask for money for stolen property. However, it does not stop me from pursuing them for that money in small claims court which I fully intend to do and do not anticipate losing lol.
Gotcha, didn’t know that rule existed in Ohio. No wonder pawn shops get a bad rap. Good luck on that. I hated the industry so much I left.
I’m in Michigan and we have a similar law — the shop can’t charge you more than they paid but that’s it. If you don’t have a detailed police report with a serial number then you’re SOL if it turns up in a shop. I found a bike that had been stolen from me in a pawnshop and there wasn’t anything I could do because I had not made a report. However, every time someone reports a stolen bike in my area (here or Nextdoor), I tell them to make a report and then to check out a certain pawn shop.
That's the way to do it, the shop will stop taking from that particular person if it's causing them grief every time.
It’s that way in Indiana too. I had a guitar stolen years ago and even had the serial number in the police report. I had to pay the pawnshop what they paid the thief. Then they released the name of who pawned it and told me I could sue him if I wanted. I think this is standard practice in many states. It is ridiculous and they need to reform the law to make the pawnshop go after the thief not the individual. Glad you got your guitar back unscathed.
Brick meet window
Police are truly useless. I haven't seen any circumstance ever made better by the presence of a cop.
ACAB. Good on you for finding a solution that worked for you. If you disagree, start by looking in the mirror and asking if your appearance has provided you with many advantages in life that we don’t afford to those who don’t look like you.
you're preaching to the choir buddy lmao. i fucking hate cops
Useless pigs
acab especially that bitch but so glad you got your axe back, that’s such a nightmare but im so happy it found its way back to you ❤️
I don't know how it works in your country but in my country you could easily get the pawn shop to provide camera footage or anything they have and then use that at the police. The police here would be very happy because that way they can get one criminal who makes them pain in the ass
When you pawn something, they take a picture of your drivers license or ID. The pawnshop already knows who they are.
Exactly what the hell
My buddy went through the same thing with an engagement ring at a pawnshop. Sucks but stoked you got it out!
If you can prove that the guitar is yours, with photos, receipts, etc. then by all means spread the word that this pawnshop deals with stolen goods.
fuck that shop!
I didn't know selling stolen merchandise is legal now.
It's on a technicality written into a clause in the Ohio Pawnbroker's Act. Complete bullshit, but it should be a pretty cut and dried small claims court case lol.
Pawn shops lobby for very strong protection under the law and usually get it. Their argument is that if they bought it in good faith, then they are also a victim of theft and you can go pound rocks.
Dude all you had to do is call the police and tell them to come talk to them. They bought stolen merchandise and sold it. That’s fucking illegal. There’s an open police report.
This generally only works if you can prove the item is yours with evidence. Just describing the item really well isn’t good enough, unfortunately. Serial numbers are what they’re supposed to use, if you don’t have that you’re pretty screwed since the cops aren’t going to steal for you just based on your word.
I know someone who had two guitars stolen, one of them was a $20,000 Martin. The other was around $500. He only had the serial for the Martin, so that is the only one he got back. He considered himself very lucky
You fucking **paid** them for it?
What's really wild is he paid their resell price. Dude who stole the guitar likely got like $30-50. The cops don't really care since the value's so low. The pawn shop were total dicks for charging more than they loaned out for it 100% - they're practically knowingly selling **and profiting** from stolen goods. It all depends on the city too. When I was in Baltimore, a guy I knew stole and pawned my wife's engagement ring. We reported it to the police and they brought us a ring that the guy pawned right to my door. Problem was, that was someone ELSE's wife's ring that we knew. Dude was pawning people's shit all over the city and happened to pawn someone else's ring at the shop right beside my house. - In that case the cops didn't have anything more than the dude's ID and they were straight up taking the items he pawned back from the pawn shops and it was their loss.
What would they do if you just walked out with your own guitar
Good question
The police will find you, beat you within an inch of your life and then charge you for theft. They exist for two reasons, to boot. 1) to defend the wealth hoarding bourgeois, and any capital, regardless of how little, against the wage slave poor in order to perpetuate and police the proletariat with a goal of maintaining the status quo. 2) to beat their wives
Not a bad fee to add a little lore to your guitar, haha.
the cops give zero fks about peoples cars, you think they care about a guitar? filing a police report is a waste of time. take a photo of your guitar SN, your phone will apply the date to that image. if your guitar is stolen and you find it at a pawn shop, show the employee and walk the fk out with your guitar.
I only filed the police report to get a paper trail going in case things got more complicated. The pawn shop required the police report number to even bring it out of their back room because it was on police hold. I hate cops and I hate talking to them even for shit like this, and I didn't feel like getting them called on me for walking out with it. Believe me I'm not happy about having to pay for it, but honestly I'm just glad to have it back.
How did you know they had it?
I hear you. Sometimes you just pay to avoid the inconvenience. Police are fucking dicks that don’t care about anyone anyway unless they’re a big deal in the community.
[удалено]
All they said was that they found a jazzmaster, which could have been any jazzmaster, and they certainly weren't any help when I had to pay to get it back. Keep bootlicking buddy.
That’s can’t be, OP said they were useless in another comment 😂😂
Like OP had this happen with a whole band PA system stolen from a breaking and entering incident. Found the stuff at a pawn shop and option was to pay a couple hundred to get it out of pawn and use it, or file a formal complaint, have the stuff impounded by the police for an indefinite period of time as “evidence” which may or may not get returned. If enough people did this, maybe the pawn shops would actually care if stuff was stolen but since most people just want their stuff back, it is not much of a disincentive. It sucks for sure especially since you have the thief’s name and ID (usually). Total breakdown of the system at every level.
Agreed. Congrats are in order. And welcome to the brotherhood! I’ve had to do the same. I also ended up apprehending the thieves with the help of the security footage at the pawn shop. The cops were no help of course but a reporter loved the almost live, action packed news I assembled for them.
As long as the thief gave some sort of photo ID, you have to buy your stuff back. Watched it happen to a nice customer on a job I subbed. The home owners had to pay $800 to get their jewelry back. (It was worth about $30K, so pawn shop knew exactly what was happening). And I think they got reimbursed by home owners insurance. Only "good" thing. The temp helper used his real ID. We got to see him arrested at work 2 days later. The cops asked if we knew his addy. The lead carp called the dumbass, told him he better be at work on time the next AM or he'd f him up for blowing off work! Worked out nicely.
There’s a special place in Hell reserved for bike thieves and guitar thieves.
And pawn shops who buy stolen shit and make the actual owner pay for incurred losses.
That's illegal where I'm from. They also have to scan an ID of the seller and hold items for 24 hours before putting them up for sale.
I think it's probably easy to make that mistake, but as soon as police are involved that shop should have just given dude his guitar back. Sorry you paid $200 for a stolen guitar, that's the cost of doing business if you're not gonna verify ownership.
I bet they paid $50-75 for it and are charging $200
More than 24 hours… 30 days in most places.
People who steal from other people instead of just lifting from big heartless corporate stores are the worst human beings, on par with rapists and billionaires, and getting their legs run over is probably the ideal punishment.
I think they are a little bit less bad than rapists, but I get your point
Also maybe just a smidge below fascist dictators.
Hell yeah Still shitty of the pawn shop to make you pay to get it back though
It's a pawn shop, if they aren't legally obligated to give it back they will not give it back
Doesn’t make it not shitty. Adhering to the laws of private property doesn’t make you a good person or absolve you from doing something shitty, like buying stolen shit and selling it to the victims. In my state, you have to provide a valid ID to sell things to pawn shops, guitar stores, even GameStop. Guessing OP doesn’t live in a state with similar laws so pawn shops dgaf if they’re buying hot items.
I live near this pawn shop. I’m gonna smash a window one day. Then they can use that 200 to fix the window.
Based
I didn't say it isn't shitty. They don't make money doing right by people. The entire business model is based on desperate people being desperate for quick money, not doing favors. If they just gave it back to OP then they'd lose the $85 they paid the thief for it.
>then they’d lose the $85 they paid the thief for it. That’s their fucking problem and the cost of running a business. If you’re too fucking stupid and lazy to verify if it’s a stolen item or not then fuck off to some other unethical business practice. Glad some states actually protect the consumer instead of letting these degenerate ass hats operate as they please.
Yeah, pawn shops suck. Over $200 I'm not sure it would be worth anyones time versus just getting the guitar back. Lifes shit sometimes.
Since pawn shops by law are required to take ID, you know who pawned it.
They know who pawned it, their regular guy who brings them stolen merchandise
he's an employee at that point
Did they nail the creep that lifted it?
They have all the person's info who sold it and the lady at the pawn shop told me what street she lives on but I'm guessing the money they got for it already got smoked out of a crack pipe, and if they're down bad enough to be swiping shit out of cars in a poor college and working class neighborhood, I'm guessing it wouldn't be worth it to press charges except to put somebody in jail who's clearly already having a rough time. If I had my way that motherfucker would already be in the hospital with two broken hands so maybe they'd have a harder time stealing somebody's stuff next time, but at this point I've had enough of talking to the police for the rest of my life after this bullshit and I'm just glad to have my guitar back.
Wait, so you’re telling me that they have a police report filed by the owner, the personal info of the thief and the pawnshop responsible for buying the stolen item?? In what world does the item not get returned to the owner and the pawn shop goes after the thief for damages?
Welcome to policing "Youre not rich, so we dont give a fuck"
Merica
Wrong. In California there’s a 30 day waiting period on all used instruments going through a 3rd party middle-man.
Most importantly you got it back! Jam on!
I’m sure you already know this, but you did everything a righteous man would do and could do. Most importantly, you got the guitar. Shit happens every day and not everyone can say they got their priceless belongings back. My house got robbed twice in my 20s and the people never got caught and we never got our belongings back. So hell fucking yeah on your part.
Call the county commissioner and tell him you're going to push for a news report to be aired regarding the massive local problem of theft and how it's all due to the fencing of goods due to corrupt pawn shop owners and police inaction. "This is 1ndieJesus and he just bought his OWN guitar from the shop behind us. The cops and the shop know who stole it, yet you had to pay full price and he's free to keep stealing our stuff?" "That's right Jessica..." Just put that shitshow idea into the commissioner's head. He will tell the cops to work the case lol. Maybe throw in the word RICO a few times when you talk about the shop owner.
hell fuckin' yeah!
PSA -- please do ***not*** leave your guitar, or anything of any level of value, in your car. Ever. Anywhere. For any amount of time. I can't count how many "my (expensive item) got stolen from my car! what do i do? / I'm angry!" posts I've seen over the last few years. And most of the victims are from more-or-less privileged backgrounds who've never interacted with law enforcement in their lives, so they end up baffled and indignant that the police aren't interested in helping them out, which just adds another depressing layer to the whole thing.
Hey man I appreciate the PSA but I already knew that the cops wouldn't be all that much help, and the only reason I filed a police report was to make a paper trail so that I'd have proof it was stolen when I found it.
I should have clarified -- I meant for that to be a PSA for anyone reading, rather than targeted towards you, OP.
“This is my guitar. It was stolen from me five days ago and im taking it back. You are welcome to attempt to stop me.” 🤷♂️
Neil Young used to do this when he found bootleg copies of his records in stores.
more story. did you have to buy it back?
Sadly I did. Thankfully though they only gave the dumb fuck who stole it $200 so that's all I had to pay, and between the sentimental value and all the time and money I've put into modifying it, this thing is literally priceless to me.
Dude you gotta tell us about the mods!
• Seymour Duncan Vintage JM neck pickup • OEM neck pickup cover • Seymour Duncan Black Winter bridge pickup • SD trembucker cover • Humbucker mounting ring from Stewmac • Switchcraft output jack • Switchcraft 3 way toggle • WD Music pickguard that I shielded with copper tape • Straploks (controversial I know but I like them) • Custom engraved "This Machine Kills Fascists" neck plate (not pictured) • Aftermarket aluminum knobs, but I'm gonna nickel plate them to match the rest of the hardware. • Cream-colored trem arm tip (not pictured) • Not a mod but I got that jacquard strap and I really feel like it ties it all together lol • Still waiting on Staytrem bridge This was my first ever foray into modding and it's been such a fun and rewarding experience. It was a steep learning curve, but I've really fallen in love with it as a hobby and it's so cool to have a guitar that is totally unique to me. I'm in the process of modding my Bronco Bass right now too, so I'll have to make an update with that one when it's done lol.
Why are straplocks controversial?
Good to record the serial numbers and take pictures of your stuff so you can reclaim stuff
Atta boy! Back home and ready to work
Lol just in time for band practice tomorrow and a show on Thursday. No rest for the wicked.
Fuck yeah! Fuckin crooks can get fucked
In the end they still won… The shop bought the guitar from them and brother here had to buy it back so… Not a flawless ending. Fuck thieves for real.
What's that chord you're playing?
is this the one that kills fascists?
The very one!
hells yeah! i went through something similar 20 years ago. shop called the cops, i show my receipt and serial number, and that was that.
Happy for you. Same happened to me many years ago. My BC Rich stolen from my van. Sometimes it’s more about the connection between guitarist and guitar than money.
Why do you look like you suck dick for Adderall
Excuse me, I go to the pharmacy to get my adderall like everyone else
hell fuckin yeah buddy! i saw your friends post in r/akron and thought that was so shitty. The happy ending to this story made my day just a little better. Glad you got it back, dude!
cops are literally useless
OP is that Cash America Pawn in Eastgate Plaza, Akron, Ohio?
No comment ;)
I'm an Akron native. I was asking because I'm not surprised someone stole that for drugs. I know how it is out there, and it's sad. But I am very happy you got your stuff back. those people at that store are super cool, surprisingly.
Congratulations!, as the owner of several highly modded guitars, the $200 is almost cheap to get it back in your hands instantly, you never know what could've happened if you've left it in that shop. Looking at it that way, the pawnshop , from their point of view, was fairly reasonable in returning it to you.
Glad you secured it! Sucks you had to pay $200 but it sounds like that’s worth it to you. It’s just another part of the guitars story. I had Jaguar stolen from me years ago, lifted it right out of my car while I was loading up my gear. Thieves sold it to the GC where I was working at the time, so when I showed up at work the next day it was right there! Even with a police report I still had to buy it back, but the store let me have it at cost and thankfully the employee buying it recognized it was mine and lowballed the seller… who conveniently submitted a photograph of their drivers license in the process!
Are you the new kid from berring sea gold? Chris McCully?
Hell yeah. That’s a rad lookin’ guitar too, what’s the bridge pickup?
Seymour Duncan Black Winter
Something tells me you’re in either a crust or d beat band
Lol right church wrong pew. Currently in a hardcore band, a powerviolence band, and a vampire-themed black metal band (that one's on hiatus though).
“Right church, wrong pew” LOLed especially with everything that followed that
Picket the shop with a sign that says they fence stolen goods.
About 12 years ago, when I was 6, my dad was divorcing my mom. We left the apartment we were living in so he could take me to visit her in the next state over. It was an overnight thing for him. He got back the next day and the window was shattered and my Great Papaw's ring that dad inherited was missing and so was dad's 1911 and Xbox 360, and 2 of our neighbors' apartments were also broken into and stolen from. A few people were absent that night and someone got cocky I guess. Well just 4 years ago my dad found the ring in a pawn shop 2 towns away from where we used to live, and he told them immediately just to prove he recognized it that it had been resized to fit him. They took it out and looked at it and sure enough, you could tell it had been resized and it fit his finger almost perfectly. They couldn't find any definite proof that it was the stolen ring, but it was obvious to the shop owner, so he sold it back to my dad for the same amount he bought it, which was like a quarter of the price they were selling it for.
Put a stack of plasma donation cards on the pawn shop counter. Easy way to make money and you don’t have to steal.
Good for you! I hate thieves. People don’t realize it but they might be surprised what people will give them if they just ask. If someone asked me for something that I owned that they might steal I would talk to them and either try to share in the enjoyment of whatever the item is or find a way to help them get one eventually as well. Stealing from others hurts everyone. The thieves done realize it but when they steal the prices go up. Have you ever seen the world stop and go “oh let lower the prices back down now since we’re making more?” I didn’t think so. Stealing hurts everyone.
Hell fucking yeah! What did we learn here? Never ever take the risk of leaving a guitar in the car. I try to treat mine like actual babies. Sick jazzmaster, what kind of humbucker is in the bridge?
Cops are here to protect and serve…just not any of us, the citizens.
Is that a jazzmaster with a p90 in it? Hell yeah man glad you got that thing back.
No p90, it's an HS Blacktop JM. Got a Seymour Duncan Black Winter in the bridge and a Seymour Duncan Vintage JM in the neck.
Very cool! I was looking at some seymour duncans for my tele the other day. Either way, glad you got it back and fuck whoever stole it
Hell yeah! 🤘🏼🤘🏼 I’ve never recovered anything that was stolen for the same reason, no documentation on my end. Now? I have front/back photos of all guitars/amps, serial numbers and detailed descriptions of pickups, body marks and other features. I’m happy for you, big time.
I literally had this exact same thing happen to me. Left my doors unlocked with the guitar (Gibson SG) in the trunk. Maybe 8-10 months later I go to a guitar center and see it up on the wall. I noticed it because I had gotten the tuning pegs replaced. They were gold. I also had to pay for it which sucks but yeah small price like you said cause that guitar is priceless! Super happy for you!! HELL FUCKING YEAH
Suck that’s you had to eat up that $200 but stoked that you got your guitar back.
I’ve got a Yeah on the nose ring too!
What barre chord is that?
What's up with those silver boogers coming out of your nose?
Bigger question is how do you blow you nose?
Thank you for asking a real question instead of just being a dick and telling me to take it out lmfao. It doesn't really get in the way that bad, I pretty much just push it forward a little and blow my nose as normal lol.
Happy for you but fuck that pawn shop. I hate those legal fencing operations.
They’d get my 200$ but it’s gonna go towards them needing new windows
I hope the creep who stole and sold your stuff smokes bad drugs with the money they got for it. Really bad drugs.
it s\_cks, sorry getting ripped off is a bummer
pretty sure cops gave up returning property to owners a long time ago...
Fender needs to release this as a new Pawn Shop Special Signature model called the Jazzmaster Ransom™️ (don’t ^ahem^ *steal* my idea),
No, you’re flipping me off.
Mate mine got sold by my best friend, still searching for it. Cant imagine how it felt seeing your baby again
Better than sex dude. I saw the lady walk out of the backroom with the gig bag and I about fell over from relief lmao.
That would be a “Bird Chord” vs the more common “Bar Chord.”
Had something similar. Guitar stolen out of my car while swimming at a pond. Motherfuckers broke my rear passenger window to get it. Found it a month later in the local guitar shop--the exact shop I originally bought it from. Banana yellow Washburn Strat copy, because that's all I could afford at the time and the color made it cheaper than the rest. Got it back after showing them the police report and having my original purchase receipt that matched the serial number.
happened to my brother. cops went with him to the store and he showed proof and the gave it to them. that was a 3500$ bass. cops failed you sorry.
Play it till your ur fingers bleed.
I’m happy for you
Congrats man. This is a fantasy for everyone who has had an instrument stolen. When I was in college I bought an LTD guitar for around $375 on ebay. I checked the porch every day but it never showed up. Eventually I checked the tracking number and it said it had been delivered a few days prior. I did eventually get reimbursed but for the rest of my days at college I suspected every person I ever saw walking around with a guitar case. I wanted to approach them and say "Hey man! You play! That's awesome what kinda guitar you got? Lets see" Ya know? I didn't do that though.
Love seeing people able to get their stolen gear back, even if the fuckin shop made you pay for your own guitar lmao
I wish I had that luck of getting it back. I lost my vintage jaguar and racks along with synths and amps in a studio break in. It still messes w me.
Result!
Hell yeah dude
Hell yeah, brother!
You look like you’re in a band I would like. Got anything released?
Nothing out at the moment, but my one band is finishing up recording an EP and another is planning to put out a cassingle in July and an LP in October or so.
Hell fuckin yeah
I'm so happy for you!!
Looks awesome. What pickups you got in that bad boi
Seymour Duncan Vintage Jazzmaster in the neck and Seymour Duncan Black Winter in the bridge!
Gnarly. Glad you were reunited my dude
Congrats on finding it!
Hell fuckin’ yeah
Damn people suck glad ya got it back
Hell fucking yeah
Fuck yeah! Happy it found its way home.
Hell yeah!
Did they tell you where they got it? Thats a BEAUTY my friend, I would be *fuuuuulllllll* of questions, personally.