Holland metal band, "Don the Pariah," recover stolen equipment that was pawned at American Jewelry and Loan, know for its truTV reality show, "Hardcore Pawn." (Photo by Michael Garcia)
OTTAWA COUNTY, MI – A Holland metal band that lost all of its equipment when its vehicle and trailer were stolen had $5,000 in musical equipment returned this week after it was pawned at American Jewelry and Loans in Detroit, known for its truTV reality show, “Hardcore Pawn.”
Then, on Friday, Nov. 1, Clinton Township police Detective Paul Collins found band leader Michael Garcia’s 2005 Cadillac Escalade. Collins had identified a suspect which led to recovery of the vehicle on the west side of Detroit.
Collins said he put a lot of time into the case because the band, “Don the Pariah,” lost so much.
They are just working guys trying to make a few extra bucks playing music, he said.
They had all of their equipment and merchandise inside the trailer that was stolen after an Oct. 12 gig at Pub 1281 in Macomb County’s Clinton Township. Garcia had minimal insurance on his old Cadillac so he would have taken the loss.
All told, Garcia figured they were out $33,000.
Collins figured the vehicle would have been parted out by now. It was not an easy case but police kept working and caught a couple of breaks. He got information on the vehicle on Friday and rushed out.
“If there’s no leads, there’s no leads,” he said.
A break came a few days ago when his partner looked at a pawn-shop database and found some of the stolen items had been sold to Detroit’s famous pawn shop. Collins talked to the owner, Les Gold. Police could have seized the items but then they would have sat in the evidence room at the police station.
Gold could have offered the items back to the victims at a discount but after hearing the band’s plight, he gave them back, no charge.
Garcia’s band, Don the Pariah, gained recognition across the state and beyond after they lost everything when someone drove off with his 2005 Cadillac Escalade and trailer. He didn’t know every was gone until he left a hotel on Dec. 13.
About half of the band’s equipment has been recovered.
“Out of all the pawn shops in Detroit our stuff was located at American jewelry & loan best known for being featured on (truTV’s) Hardcore pawn,” he wrote on Facebook.
American Jewelry and Loan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Garcia told MLive he had been in frequent contact with the detective on the case.
“I gave him the serial numbers on our equipment and he told me they had a hit on some of our equipment. And it turns out it was some of our things. Estimated to be about $5,000 worth.”
Garcia said he was grateful earlier this week when he got the musical equipment back. Then Collins called late Friday afternoon to say he found the Escalade. It had minor damage but was OK.
“We’re proud to have a detective as determined to find our stolen goods as we are,” he told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press.
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