A positive update on the recent story of a stolen violin: the beautiful Caressa & Francais instrument has been found and its suspected captor, arrested.
As previously reported, 26-year-old Emily Cox had her $23,000 violin, as well as her cellphone stolen from SF’s Conservatory of Music while she’d briefly left the room to check her email.
The suspected thief managed to get away on Muni, where a surveillance video of the suspect lead to several tips by those who recognized the suspect, 27-year old Scott Sylvester.
Police initially spoke with Sylvester’s mother, ABC7 reports. She told them her son would return the violin, not at a police station, but at St. Mary’s Cathedral in the city’s Western Addition.
According to a St. Mary’s receptionist, Sylvester was accompanied by his girlfriend when he dropped off the instrument, who said that “her friend made some sort of mistake he would like to correct.”
Sylvester was arrested at about 8 p.m. Thursday. He is currently being booked on burglary, grand theft and possession of stolen property charges.
Police recovered the violin from the church and planned to reunite the instrument with its owner soon.
“As far as I could tell it looks like it’s a little, it’s been manhandled a little bit. But you know, nothing that I can’t fix. No major cracks or damage,” Cox told ABC7.
Want more news, sent to your inbox every day? Then how about subscribing to our email newsletter? Here’s why we think you should. Come on, give it a try.
