KING COUNTY, Wash. — A theft involving drum sets originally belonging to Poison drummer Rikki Rockett has come to a happy conclusion after a tip from a Seattle-area music store employee.
The thieves, unaware of the close-knit nature of Seattle's music community, were apprehended, and all five stolen drum sets were returned undamaged.
Donn Bennett, a broker of rare musical instruments, was the first to discover the theft.
“I mean this is what I do, I deal in rare musical instruments," said Donn Bennett, of Donn Bennett's Drum Vault. "As soon as I got there, I saw the broken lock.”
His storage unit, which contained the drum sets valued at about $100,000, had been broken into. Quickly, Bennett discovered the theft.
Bennett was devastated by the loss.
First, he filed a report with the King County Sheriff's Office.
"He told me it was from the band Poison," said Deputy Adriana Mazur of King County Sheriff's Office. "I wasn’t really sure what Poison was initially until I did some-- a little research.”
Bennett also posted about the theft on social media and included photos of the stolen instruments.
The Facebook post was seen by Guitar Center Tukwila employee Andy Emery, a longtime friend of Bennett. The store has a program where they buy rare or high-quality vintage drums from the members of the public.
“And I was like, that's, that's what I saw!" said Emery.
Emery realized he had just seen those exact drum sets the day before when a couple came into the store trying to sell them.
"They showed me pictures on their cell phone. They're trying to be a little bit vague about the pictures, but I was able to get a, just the brand of drums. So I could say, 'Okay, these are quality, but I need to see them in person,'" said Emery.
Emery immediately contacted Bennett. Bennett then shared Deputy Maruza's contact info with him.
On Friday, just two days later, the thieves returned to Guitar Center with the valuable drum sets in tow.
Emery acted interested in purchasing them off of them.
"I immediately went in the back warehouse so he couldn't hear me, called the detective," said Emery.
Per Maruza's suggestion, Emery stalled the suspects in an effort to keep them in the store while waiting for authorities to arrive. He said he slowly and meticulously filled out an intake form and took breaks to help other customers while the thieves stood nearby.
"That was the longest half hour of my life," Emery said with a laugh.
The stolen drums were recovered in perfect condition, according to Bennett, and it was an outcome that he described as “miraculous.”
"I mean, that never happens," said Bennett.
The suspects were arrested, but according to the King County Sheriff’s Office, they are no longer in custody.