Man With Golden Flute Hits Sour Note
Thursday, Jan 7, 2010 | Updated 2:47 PM PDT
Juror's find forces a mistrial.
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A 23-year old man, who allegedly tried to sell a stolen 14-karate gold flute to a pawn shop, faces a judge today. The gold flute is worth $30,000.
Alexander Ayala told police he bought the golden flute from somebody in a park for $80 cash and hoped to make a profit by selling it, said Pomona Police Lieutenant Joann Guzek.
The missing $30,000 Muramatsu flute was reported stolen Friday morning, when a music instructor told police he mistakenly left the Japanese-made instrument in his vehicle overnight, Guzek said. He then found his vehicle burglarized, with the flute missing.
A Pomona Police officer told the music instructor to start calling all the pawn shops in the area, Guzek said.
The victim contacted about 10 pawn shops in Pomona and Ontario.
In less than two hours, somebody at a pawn shop on East Holt Avenue called police about a suspicious person trying to sell what appeared to be an expensive gold flute, Guzek said.
By 9:40 a.m., Pomona police had the man in custody while he was still in possession of the serial-numbered Muramatsu, Guzek said.
Muramatsu flutes are manufactured at a factory in Tokorozawa, Japan, according to Muramatsu America. The maker's 14K gold models start at $24,750. Muramatsu also makes flutes with 18K gold, 24K gold, and platinum.
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