Thieves stole $1500 (£1040) worth of beer from a bar owned by former Judas Priest singer Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens.
Tim Owens’ Traveler’s Tavern in Akron, Ohio, was broken into at the weekend, with 70 cases of beer taken from a walk-in cooler.
Owens – who fronted Priest between 1996 and 2003 – tells the Akron Beacon Journal: “It’s a really sad thing that someone had to do this. Any time you get ahead in a business and someone does this, it’s hard.”
The bar, which also doubles as a gig venue, was set to host a wake on Saturday, so there was more stock than usual in the cooler.
Owens adds: “I don’t think it had anything to do with the event. I think it was probably an old employee or a regular who knew the cooler was back there and happened to steal that night.”
A new fence with razor wire has been installed, additional security cameras have been fitted and new locks are to be added to the cooler door.
Owens fronted a Priest tribute band before joining the real thing in place of Rob Halford in 1996. His story was the inspiration for 2001 film Rock Star. He also sang with Iced Earth between 2003 and 2007.
