Music to his ears: Man reunited with stolen guitar nine years later
In the spring of 2013, Art Moore had his guitar stolen from his home while he was visiting his father in the hospital.
Despite a generous reward, the guitar was never returned and never seen again by the owner — until Tuesday.
The guitar — worth $4,000 — was stolen from the high school teacher's Moncton home nine years ago and sold at a pawn shop near his house.
"It's magnificent," said Moore after taking the guitar out of a box. "There's a little bit of damage on there. But I know some guitar guys, so hopefully, they can figure it out for me, but what a surprise after nine years."
The guitar eventually ended up in the hands of a Moncton man who didn't know it was stolen. He found out it belonged to Moore and wanted to give it back, so a friend of his contacted CTV News to set up a reunion which took place early Tuesday afternoon.
While the guitar is an expensive instrument, it's also one with sentimental value.
"I remember I was going into Long & McQuade and playing it, but thought I'll never be able to afford that guitar, so I put it back on the stand. And then one day, I thought, I'm going to go get that guitar. And I got there and it was gone. What had happened was my wife had bought it and it was on my guitar stand at home," said Moore.
A young man and woman were spotted breaking into his home nine years ago and stole $7,000 worth of goods.
His students at the time of the theft launched a social media campaign in hopes of having the guitar returned.
Pawn shop owner Bill Roberts told CTV News that in 2013 he asked for identification from the girl who sold the guitar, and he doesn't believe he did anything wrong.
The rugby coach at Harrison Trimble High School and military veteran was so distraught over the loss of the guitar, he wrote a poem about the girl.
"It's about me seeing this kind of beautiful, fragile creature because she was filmed taking it out of my house, my neighbour had a video camera. I could see her and she just looked in such tough shape. I remember thinking, I really feel terrible for that girl," he said.
In 2013, Moore offered a $500 reward for the return of his guitar. He gave an undisclosed amount to the woman who returned it Tuesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'It looks quite real': Two Ontarians lose money to fake phone scam
About 85 per cent of Canadians have a smartphone and once you have one they’re hard to live without. The latest smartphones can cost as much as $2,000, so if you’re trying to save money, make sure you don’t get caught in a fake smartphone scam.
America reaches Election Day and a stark choice between Trump and Harris
A presidential campaign marked by upheaval and rancor approached its finale on Election Day as Americans decided whether to send Donald Trump back to the White House or elevate Kamala Harris to the Oval Office.
New homeowners find skeleton in attic 15 years after previous occupant disappeared
Homeowners in France have discovered a skeleton in the attic of an outbuilding while undertaking renovation work.
Months after VRBO booking, Taylor Swift fan told home 'not available' during Vancouver concert
A frustrated Taylor Swift fan is speaking out after being pushed from a short-term rental she booked for the upcoming Vancouver leg of the superstar’s Eras Tour.
North Korean troops in Russia are shelled by Ukrainian forces, an official says
North Korean troops recently deployed to help Russia in its war with Ukraine have come under Ukrainian fire, a Kyiv official said Tuesday.
Dutch police arrest a suspect in a botched art heist of Andy Warhol screenprints
Police arrested a 23-year-old man Tuesday on suspicion of involvement in a botched art heist at a gallery in the southern Netherlands targeting four valuable Andy Warhol screenprints.
Tim Hortons parent Restaurant Brands misses sales estimates on muted demand
Restaurant Brands missed estimates for quarterly revenue on Tuesday due to weak demand across key businesses such as Tim Hortons, Burger King and international markets including China and the Middle East.
Canada Post, union, still disagree over weekend delivery following weekend talks
Canada Post and the union representing its workers are commenting on how weekend talks for a new contract went, with the employer calling them less productive than they'd hoped and the union claiming their employer is focused on flexibility to deliver parcels at the lowest possible cost.
A week after Spain's floods, families hold out hope that loved ones are not among the dead
Francisco Murgui went out to try to salvage his motorbike when the water started to rise.