Thanks to a kind pawnshop owner in Tooele, a 30’s era Gibson guitar finds its way back to its owner in North Salt Lake.
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The guitar was just one of the many items that went missing when Charles Morris’ home was broken into by burglars in July.
Aside from the rare vintage instrument, the thieves also took with them vintage silver coins, antique pistols and jewelry. The guitar however was special because it was passed down to Charles Morris by his grandmother.
Not long after the burglary, the guitar was sold by two people to a GSI pawnshop in Toole. The owner, Kenny Gregrich, later saw the news about the burglary and reported to North Salt Lake Police that he might have bought the stolen guitar.
The thought of losing money because of the deal did not stop Gregrich from returning the instrument to its rightful owner. He said: “It doesn’t matter what the dollar value is, to him it’s priceless and I can see why he absolutely wants it back. To me it was the right thing to do and I didn’t see any reason not to do it.”
Morris was grateful for the retrieval of the special instrument, he thanked the pawnshop owner for his kindness and honesty. Talking about Kenny Gregrich, Morris said: “He’s a super honest person, he didn’t have to report that.” The quick recovery of this expensive vintage guitar is quite a story because there are many others who have stolen instruments that are not as lucky.
Morris was also grateful for the way the police quickly handled the case. The Police tied a man named Jason Kettler to the crime. Kettler and his alleged accomplice, Chauntae Thompson, were already wanted for a garage burglary in Riverton that was caught on tape. The two were later caught and charged federally with identity theft.
Although Morris is still missing a lot of valuables, knowing that his Grandma’s guitar is back, and that the suspects are jailed, will help relieve some of his troubles. Wrapping up the story, Morris was quoted saying: “For an old guitar, it has a really good sound.”
If you have any information about the crime and the missing items, you can call North Salt Lake Police at 801-936-3880.
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