A husband and wife from Los Angeles have been arrested for the theft of a high-end guitar. Steven and Jenalle Smith are accused of stealing an instrument valued at over $4,000 from a shop on East Thousand Oaks Boulevard.
The crime occurred on January 8, 2026, when a male suspect entered the store and walked out with the guitar. Detectives determined that the man had conspired with a second person waiting in a nearby getaway car.
Using various investigative tools and out-of-state records, detectives identified the Smiths as the suspects. The couple reportedly had a history of similar retail thefts in other states.
On January 26, investigators tracked the couple to a motorhome parked at a hotel in Lake Forest. Inside the vehicle, they found the stolen Thousand Oaks guitar along with several other instruments.
Authorities believe the other recovered guitars were also stolen from various music stores across Southern California. Steven Smith was also found to have multiple active arrest warrants from outside of California.
The couple was booked into the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility on charges of grand theft and conspiracy. Their bail was set at $20,000, and they made their first court appearance on January 28.
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Published: Jan 30, 2026. No major post-publication update has been logged.
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