Shown above is the guitar that was stolen from Christian Lopez.
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — A local musician is relieved after the Martinsburg City Police recovered a rare guitar several weeks after it was stolen during a burglary.
“I’ve been on tour so I haven’t been home, but my parents called and said someone had broken into the house,” said Christian Lopez. “They threw a brick through the kitchen window door and only made their way to my room. They pried open the locked door and only took my guitar.”
Lopez, of the Christian Lopez Band, said he was shocked when he heard someone had burglarized his home and took his special guitar.
“It’s not a guitar I play often but I had it signed by Foreigner and it was a childhood memory in a display case and they took it,” Lopez said. “They left the door open and made a big mess in the house. I had posted online that it had been stolen for people to keep and eye out and it got a lot of visibility, thankfully.”
The guitar now has an even more interesting story.
“They stole it the same day Foreigner was at the Frederick County Fair,” Lopez said. “Five years ago, I had it signed by Foreigner at the Frederick County Fair.”
Lopez said the story has a happy ending.
“I thought it was gone and out of nowhere, they said they found it, it was kind of unbelievable,”Lopez said. “For me, it’s nice to have that peace of mind that our small town police department can take care of these situations and put a happy ending on one of these sad stories and add closure to the other people whose lost items were recovered. I’m really happy for the other people who could have closure as well. But to have the guitar back is great, I’ll pass it on to my kids one day and it’ll add a nice extra story behind that guitar.”
Lopez was one of several people to be lucky enough to have items returned from the stolen vehicle, which was recovered at the Berkeley Medical Center.
The Martinsburg City Police announced an arrest related to the case Tuesday, of a suspect who was also found to be in possession of large quantities of stolen property linked to several recent burglaries.
Joshua McCusker, 29, of Falling Waters, has been charged with fleeing on foot, resisting arrest, possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of controlled substances, felony receiving or transferring stolen goods, and driving with a suspended license following an incident on Saturday, according to an MPD press release.
On Saturday at approximately 7 p.m., officers from the Martinsburg Police Department responded to the area of Famous Pawn on Winchester Avenue for a report of a suspicious person who was believed to have a warrant for his arrest.
Lt. Les Witt attempted to stop the suspicious person, who was identified as McCusker; however, McCusker would not comply and attempted to walk away. Ptlm. Marc Loretta arrived shortly after Witt, and upon his arrival, McCusker took off running, according to the release. The officers pursued McCusker on foot and Loretta was able to catch him and place him in custody.
Once the suspect was in transport to the MPD station for processing, Witt ran the Pennsylvania registration tag on the vehicle McCusker had driven to the area. The vehicle came back as stolen and was linked to a residential burglary that occurred in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, approximately one month earlier.
The vehicle was also found to contain additional property that was linked to several burglaries in the Martinsburg area. This property included firearms, electronics, a computer, jewelry, prescription medications and various other personal items, including Lopez’s rare guitar.
“It was a great feeling being able to return the stolen property,” Loretta said. “Some of the items held a lot of personal significance for the owners and we hope this helps to set their minds at ease again.”
Chief Maury Richards praised the work of all the officers involved with the arrest. “This was another great example of the commitment and professional excellence our officers bring to this city every day,” he said. “We’re proud of our team and even more proud to serve such a great community.”
Deputy Chief George Swartwood also commended the work of MPD’s patrol officers. “This was a great arrest, and we’re hoping to use information and evidence that was collected to solve additional burglary cases, both in the city and surrounding jurisdictions,” Swartwood said. “It’s a prime example of great police work.”
– Staff writer Matt Dellinger can be reached at 304-263-3381, ext. 128, or www.twitter.com/MattDellJN.