BUCKHANNON – An Upshur County man was arrested Saturday for allegedly stealing and selling a 1962 Gibson guitar.
Cody Hinkle, 28, of Buckhannon, was arrested for transferring and receiving stolen goods, a felony, in connection to an incident that allegedly occurred in November 2021.
According to the criminal complaint in the Upshur County Magistrate Clerk’s Office filed by investigating officer Trooper R.C. Watson with the Weston detachment of the West Virginia State Police, on Nov. 16, 2021, at 9:21 a.m., Watson received a call from WVSP Elkins Communication Center in reference to an alleged non-active breaking-and-entering on Harrison Avenue in Weston.
Watson responded and contacted the homeowner, who said his son previously lived in the residence, but it was currently unoccupied. The owner told police he had driven by the trailer on Monday and noticed the shed was open, which was abnormal since no one lived there, according to the file. The owner went to the trailer and noticed a window was broken, so he went inside and started looking around. At that point, he noticed his 1962 Gibson guitar was missing and it was a unique, expensive guitar, the police report says.
On the same day, Watson contacted local pawn shops to see if anyone pawned a similar guitar but did not find the guitar.
On Nov. 29, 2021, Watson, along with TFC. J.O. Hensley, contacted K&K Pawn Shop and inquired about the guitar. The employee at the pawnshop confirmed he had the guitar and set it aside, according to the report. The employee told police that a male named Cody Hinkle allegedly came into the store and sold the guitar for $50 on Nov. 15, 2021.
Watson subsequently contacted the homeowner, made him aware of the information and instructed him to go to the pawnshop and identify the guitar and confirm it was his.
At about 11:30 that day, the homeowner arrived at the WVSP Weston detachment and confirmed the guitar was his. He provided Watson with the buyers’/sellers’ report, given to him by the pawnshop.
The value of the guitar was estimated at $2,500, the file states.
Upshur County Magistrate Alan Suder set bail at $10,000 cash or surety, and as of Wednesday evening, Hinkle remained incarcerated in the Central Regional Jail, according to the West Virginia Jail & Correctional Facility Authority website.
The penalty for a conviction of transferring and receiving stolen goods is confinement in the state penitentiary for not less than one year nor more than 10 years, or in the discretion of the court, confinement in jail for not more than one year and a fine of not more than $2,500.
