Heart is pleading for the return of two "irreplaceable instruments" stolen from a venue in Atlantic City before the classic rock band started the latest leg of their Royal Flush Tour. The instruments, a baritone Telecaster guitar custom-built for Nancy Wilson and a vintage 1966 Gibson EM-50 mandolin that the band's Paul Moak has played for more than 25 years, were stolen from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Friday, the AP reports. A suspect, 57-year-old Garfield Bennett, was charged with burglary and theft on Wednesday, but the instruments are still missing, reports NBC New York.
"Investigators were able to obtain video of Bennett walking through various parts of Atlantic City attempting to sell the instruments," police said. "Detectives learned that Bennett sold one of the instruments and the whereabouts of the other is unknown." Police said that anybody in possession of the stolen instruments should surrender them to police. If they fail to do so and are found with the instruments, "they will be arrested and criminally charged with receiving of stolen property," police said. "These instruments are more than just tools of our trade—they're extensions of our musical souls," Nancy Wilson said in a post on Instagram.
"The baritone Tele was made uniquely for me, and Paul's mandolin has been with him for decades," Wilson said. "We're heartbroken, and we're asking for their safe return—no questions asked. Their value to us is immeasurable." The reunion tour was delayed last year after Ann Wilson, who leads the band with her sister Nancy, was diagnosed with cancer. The tour went ahead after chemotherapy treatment was successful, and the band is sticking to their schedule despite the theft, Rolling Stone reports. (More Heart stories.)
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