Man's stolen Pearl Jam guitar recovered

BURLINGTON, Vt., Dec. 13 (UPI) -- Two men face charges they stole a guitar owned by a Vermont man whose brother got it from Pearl Jam three months before he died of cancer, police said.

The Burlington Free Press reported the 1972 Fender Telecaster, which once belonged to Pearl Jam's Mike McCready, had been recovered, but the band members' signatures were removed. It was being held as evidence for the time being.

Jeffrey Leduc, 25, and Timothy Crews, 51, were arrested Sunday on charges of felony possession of stolen property after police received tips from the public regarding the theft.

The guitar was stolen from Ben Hardy's Burlington apartment when he was out of the country in late November-early December.

Pearl Jam presented the instrument to Ben's brother Josh through the Make-A-Wish Foundation in October 1992. Josh died of a brain tumor three months later, the Press reported.

"It's an amazing ending to quite the ordeal," Ben Hardy wrote on his Facebook page. "There is no question that all the positivity and hope generated through this network played a big role in the guitar's return."