Suspects plucked in guitar case

A man with a pilfered guitar was arrested in a low-key sting operation by the Island County Sheriff’s Office Thursday, according to court documents.

A resident of rural Langley reported to police July 26 that someone had entered his home while he was at work and stolen nine guitars.

On Oct. 8, the resident reported to a deputy that he had located two of his guitars for sale on several different accounts on two different websites. On reverb.com, a Reverend Sensei Sparkle was listed for $899 and a Boogie Bodies custom was for sale at $1,399.

The seller named “Jeremy” was linked to Brandon S. Vitovitz and Sydney Y. Cooper, a couple who live in Clinton, the deputy’s report states.

The owner of the guitars arranged through one of the websites to meet the seller to purchase one of the guitars. A detective went with him undercover in plain clothes and two other detectives observed the meeting, which was initially set for 12:30 a.m. at the Payless Store in Freeland but the seller switched to the parking lot of the Trinity Lutheran Church.

Vitovitz and Cooper arrived in separate cars and were arrested, the report states.

Vitovitz appeared in Island County Superior Court Oct. 10 and the judge found probable cause existed for a charge of trafficking stolen property in the first degree. His bail was set at $25,000.