Nashville singer/songwriter Joel Crouse shared a whirlwind of an experience on social media this week. It all started Monday morning when he woke up and noticed things were missing from his apartment — including his friend’s rare guitar. He checked his apartment camera, which showed that a man walked into his apartment and stole items while he slept. In addition to filing a police report, Crouse immediately posted the video and up-close photos of the man on social media.
“NASHVILLE – WHO IS THIS GUY?!” Crouse wrote alongside photos of the unknown man. “He came in my f—ing apartment and robbed me while I was asleep!!! SWIPE TO SEE- please repost!!”
Crouse’s search didn’t stop with the initial social media post. He and some friends then took to searching in downtown Nashville after they’d received a tip that the man was seen at the local YMCA. Crouse then found the man and confronted him in another video posted to his Instagram page. The man is wearing Crouse’s shoes in the clip and the singer and his friend are seen demanding that the man take them to the rest of their stolen belongings, including the guitar.
The thief cooperated and took Crouse and his friends to their stolen items, and in the process, shared that he was a drug addict. He was then picked up by Nashville Metro police. Crouse documented the entire experience through videos on his Instagram page and his Instagram story. Other country artists such as TJ Osborne and Kacey Musgraves also posted the photos and videos. Crouse shared that he will be pushing for the man to receive rehabilitation rather than a harsh punishment for his crime.
“Addiction/mental health is a real thing,” Crouse wrote in an Instagram story from Monday. “We’re actually going to to be advocating for him not to be harshly punished by the DA but for him to get the help he actually needs. Which is rehabilitation.”