Soldier getting a sound gift from local business

CUMBERLAND COUNTY Sergeant Matthew Malcom's wife says someone broke into her husband's car and took off with his custom stereo system.

The thief cut out the amplifier and the speakers from the back and ripped the radio out of the dash, setting the family back about $2,500.

Heather Malcom says when she told her husband, who is a Humvee mechanic with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, about the robbery he was devastated, but she says she was furious.

"I think it's very unfortunate we have people over there protecting our country and fighting a war and we have people here that are robbing them," she said. "It's very unfortunate we have to take away from our family needs to replace what they took."

And it was not the kind of welcome home he was looking forward to, because the family is making preparations for a reassignment move to Germany later this year and the car that was vandalized was the one that has to be sold before they move.

After learning about the Malcom's story, a Fayetteville business owner offered to replace what was stolen from the soldier's car.

The manager of Cross Creek Pawn and Audio on Cliffdale Road says he knows how the family is feeling because he's seen it before.

"We see a lot of it in the pawn business; it happens a lot in Fayetteville," Ted Baltes said.

Baltes says his offer is his way of saying thanks to a soldier.

"That's the least we could do to our military out there, we owe our hats off to them," Baltes said.

Heather Malcom says her husband's first stop when he gets home next week after spending a year in Afghanistan will be to the business to shake hands with and thank the people who helped him.

"Just thankful that God has sent these guys to us that they will do this for us," she said.

Installers at Cross Creek Pawn and Audio say they'll have the new car audio system ready when he gets home.

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