Man charged in robbery of unique violin on CTA train in the Loop, but instrument still missing

A man has been charged in the robbery of a valuable violin on a CTA Blue Line train last week in the Loop.

Timothy Johnson, 39, of Douglas, is charged with one felony count of robbery and three misdemeanor counts of resisting or obstructing a peace officer, according to Chicago police.

The maple and spruce violin was a gift from music student Cyrus Spurlock’s older brother, who crafted it himself. Spurlock was sitting on a train at the Clark and Lake stop on Friday when the violin — which was in a rectangular case — was stolen from him.

According to Spurlock, the case has been recovered but there is no word on the instrument itself. Now he hopes the man in custody is willing to provide information on its whereabouts.

"The case is still being worked so hopefully there is more progress in the next few weeks," he said in a text message on Wednesday night.

Spurlock was offering a cash reward for information leading to its return. The instrument is valued at $10,000, but to Spurlock it is priceless.

“I felt like there was a special connection to being able to play an instrument that my brother produced. It’s a real gift to be able to do that,” Spurlock said. “It’s always been a big part of my music and the stuff I work on.”

Spurlock, 22, is in his final semester studying music at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

His brother, who is five years older, started working on the instrument in high school back home in Woodstock, New York. He finished it in 2014 after two years of work.

Spurlock has cherished it since it was given to him when was around 13 years old. He played it every day. He’s interested in music production, and the violin was a key instrument for him.

He called it "extremely special."