Mug shot: Justin Buchanan
BOUNTIFUL, Utah — An Idaho man is behind bars after he allegedly stole some expensive guitars from music shops in Bountiful and Orem.
According to a news release from the Bountiful Police Department, detectives located 34-year-old Justin Buchanan, of Meridian, Idaho, in the Rose Park neighborhood of Salt Lake City.
Buchanan is accused of taking a $1,300 guitar from Murphy’s Guitars in Bountiful and a $12,000 guitar from Best In Music in Orem.
Michael Murphy, who owns Murphy’s Guitars on Main St. in Bountiful, sent Fox 13 photos of the suspect who was caught on camera taking a guitar from the store.
Murphy said the suspect looked around the store for a while and told an employee he was going to purchase a guitar.
As the employee went to the back to get a case for the instrument, the suspect grabbed the guitar and left.
Murphy said the stolen guitar is a new Fender American Standard Stratocaster in white with a white pickguard and maple neck.
Marcus Hight, General Manager at Best In Music, said a rare guitar worth $12,000 was taken from the store Wednesday afternoon.
Hight said the guitar is a Limited Martin John Lennon guitar of which only 75 were made.
Buchanan was captured after an employee at Performance Audio in Salt Lake City recognized his face from news reports.
Det. Joubert and Marcus Hight pose for a photo with the Limited Martin John Lennon guitar.
Hight expressed his gratitude to Bountiful police in a Facebook post about the incident.
“Our baby is back!! A huge thanks to Detective Joubert of the Bountiful Police Department. A true guitar enthusiast who wouldn’t let this guitar stay in a basement evidence room with no case, so he drove down and met me in Salt Lake to make sure this guitar got home safe! Thanks again for everyone who helped get the thief behind bars and the guitar back to us,” Hight wrote.
Buchanan was booked into the Davis County Jail and he faces felony theft charges.
Surveillance photos:
