A local musician was reunited with his stolen clarinet thanks to the quick action of NPA member Janelle Morehart-Leevey of Ponders Pawnbrokers (Lakewood, WA). The clarinet, which is worth over $5,000, was stolen from owner Victor Prinsen’s showroom during a private gathering last May. When the suspect brought the instrument to a neighboring pawn shop, that shop recognized it from news reports and called to warn Ponders that he may be headed to their store next. Sure enough, the suspected thief did show up shortly thereafter. Morehart-Leevey, who also serves as President of the Washington State Pawnbrokers Association, called the police and stalled until they could show up to arrest the man. The clarinet was recovered and returned to Prinsen just in time for his concert later that day.

Special thanks to NPA Member Janelle Morehart-Leevey for sharing this story!

Read the full story from KING5 here.

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