PD: Thieves shoving guitars down their pants - KCTV5

Police are looking for two men whom they say walked into a music store and stole guitars. The pair may be involved in similar incidents throughout the Midwest.

The thieves are stealing expensive guitars. They apparently have struck stores in St. Louis, Wichita and Nebraska - and now Olathe.

Authorities say two men entered the Spencer's Music Store at 1717 S. Mur-Len Rd. in Olathe about 2:30 p.m. April 12. One suspect distracted the salesperson while the other suspect placed a guitar down his pants, then left the store.

Jeff Tice, Spencer's owner, said he noticed the guitar had been stolen.

"I looked up and saw an empty spot on the wall and no one was playing it in the store. So I realized it was not in the store," Tice said.

He checked his surveillance video and discovered the thieves stole two guitars worth more than $5,000.

"You can't make that up," Tice said. "It's huge."

One suspect is described as a African-American man with medium complexion, short hair, medium build and is in his late 20s or early 30s. He was wearing blue jeans, a black and white jacket with skulls all over it, a yellow shirt with an undistinguishable print on the front and dark tennis shoes with a white trim near the sole.

The second suspect is described as an Afrian-American man with medium complexion and a medium build.  Police could not distinguish an age because of the way he is wearing his hat in surveillance photos.

The second suspect was wearing a white baseball cap, gray hooded jacket, dark gray hooded shirt, white T-shirt, dark jeans and dark tennis shoes with a white trim near the sole.

Olathe police detectives are working with law enforcement agencies across the Midwest.

In the meantime, Tice is advising other music store owners to say vigilant. Police say the thieves score by district employees while the other takes the guitars by putting the necks into his pants and covering the instrument with baggy clothing.

"You need to watch individuals coming into the store. It's not like normal shoplifting," Tice said. "These gentlemen have a plan. They are calculated and they have been getting away with it."

Police hope releasing the surveillance pictures will lead to the arrest of two men ripping off music scores across the Midwest for more than two months.

The men are estimated to have stolen at least $25,000 in merchandise.

Anyone with information regarding the investigation is asked to call the Olathe Police Department at 913-971-6950 or TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.

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