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Police find teen’s bagpipes, which hold large sentimental value, after being stolen from teen’s car

Posted at 9:47 PM, Oct 08, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-09 23:48:41-04

LINDON, Utah — A teen has been reunited with his bagpipes after they were stolen from his car last month.

17-year-old Cameron Braithwaite has had a passion for playing the instrument since he was nine years old.

“I made a bagpiper out of popsicle sticks and I wrote a note to my mom saying all I want to do is play the bagpipes,” Cameron said when describing how he told parents about his passion for the music.

One morning in September, Cameron discovered his bagpipes were missing from his car.

His parents thought they would never be found.

“I told him there is a 1,000 percent chance those bagpipes will not be recovered,” said Hillary Braithwaite, Cameron’s mother.

Lindon police received a lead from police in Pleasant Grove who said they found the instrument after making a traffic stop on a stolen car.

“At the end of the story he said, ‘we actually released them,’ and I was like, 'they don’t have the bagpipes anymore,'” said Sgt. Josh Edwards of the Lindon Police Department when describing the call he received from Pleasant Grove police.

Sgt. Edwards said police didn’t have enough evidence to consider the instrument stolen. Edwards did more investigating, including a jail interview, and eventually tracked down the bagpipes to a house in American Fork.

“This kid somehow knew we were going to find the bagpipes,” Edwards said.

Cameron once again is playing the instrument he loves.

“They have sentimental value to me and have been on a long journey,” Cameron said.

Their carrying case has not been found. It too has sentimental value because it is adorned with items Cameron has earned from playing at various events and competitions. One patch is from the dedication ceremony of the Payson Temple.

“Stuff like that is irreplaceable,” Cameron said.

Lindon police are still searching for the carrying case and hope to arrest the person responsible for stealing the bagpipes.

Through all of this, Cameron has learned a valuable lesson.

“I always lock my car now,” he said.