Stolen Guitars Worth $50K Recovered In Irvine, Two Charged

IRVINE, CA — Police located a collection of rare guitars stolen from an Irvine storage facility this week, authorities said.

On October 3, two people raided a storage unit at the Extra Space Storage on Laguna Canyon Road, taking 21 high-end guitars from a storage unit, Irvine Police Department officer Kim Mohr said.

The police followed leads and located a guitar for sale online, ultimately meeting Derek Allen Dodds, 34 and Brittney Christine Patterson, 27, both of Yucaipa, at the Ontario mall.

"Three of the stolen guitars were found in the suspects' vehicle," Mohr said. Both Patterson and Dodds were taken into custody. San Bernardino County Sheriff's investigators located 11 of the remaining guitars at the suspects' residence, she said.
To date, police have recovered 18 of the 21 stolen guitars. There was no word about the remaining three.

Both Patterson and Dodds were linked to other incidents at Irvine storage facilities, all from July, Mohr said.

"In one case, a safe containing collectible items was taken at another Extra Space storage unit at 20 Post in Irvine," she said. Another unit at the Laguna Canyon Extra Space storage was ransacked. However, nothing was taken.

The investigation remains ongoing, she advised. Anyone with information should contact the Irvine Police Department Detective Edward Martinez at 949-724-7177 or edmartinez@cityofirvine.org.

Irvine Police Department Photos