Three people accused of stealing a vintage $15,000 guitar last month from a Harford County music store were arrested in Connecticut.
The manhunt led to a $2,000 reward for information that brings the 1947 Martin D-28 acoustic guitar back to Music Land in Bel Air, Maryland. Police said the guitar has not yet been recovered.
The three will be extradited to Maryland.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact the Bel Air Police Department.
Photo by Music Land 
Police: Suspects may be connected to multi-state thefts
Police said that three people were arrested in Greenwich, Connecticut, and they could be connected to more thefts in several states, including Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, California, Connecticut, Washington, and Pennsylvania.
Sgt. Sergio D’Alto, with the Bel Air Police Department, couldn’t reveal how the alleged thieves were tracked. However, he said, 18-year-old Ionut Kenzo Stoica, 19-year-old Milescu Alexa Teodora, both of New Jersey, and a juvenile were arrested.
“They’re not new to this, to thefts, so it’s just a matter of connecting dots, speaking with our partners,” Sgt. D’Alto said. “This went multi-state very quickly, from West Coast to East Coast.”
Police said the alleged thieves will face felony theft charges for the stolen guitar and likely face additional charges from other jurisdictions.
Sgt. D’Alto believes the group is not working alone.
“With the investigative leads we have, up until this point, it does appear this was multiple groups that all have some connection to each other,” Sgt. D’Alto said. “Our particular group appears to be targeting high-end musical instruments in more than one state, so it wasn’t an isolated incident for us.”
Surveillance footage at Music Land
Surveillance video captured when four people went into the acoustic room at Music Land on February 3, stood on a stool to get to the 1947 Martin D-28 acoustic guitar valued at $15,000 guitar on display, stuck it inside one of their jackets, and walked out.
“We were in shock the next day when we realized,” said Larry Noto, the owner of Music Land. “It was like we started looking everywhere for it, we thought maybe a teacher had it in the lesson room, or the repair department was doing something with it. We just started frantically looking for it.”
Photo by Music Land 
Even though the expensive guitar has not been found, Noto told WJZ he’s relieved that those arrested won’t be able to steal from other businesses.
“It’s a shame. There are people like my father who built this business from the ground up, over 55 years,” Noto said. “And then there are people who try to cheat the system, and it’s a shame. I think the important thing is they didn’t get away with it.”
