DROWNING POOL Gear Ripped Off From Dallas Rehearsal Room; Thieves Caught On Tape

Jay Gormley of the North Texas CBS affiliate KTVT-TV reports: It was supposed to be a Thanksgiving homecoming for a popular Dallas band. Instead, thieves have left the members of DROWNING POOL a little less thankful.

Having survived the death of lead singer Dave Williams five years ago, DROWNING POOL has overcome its share of obstacles.

Now the Dallas-based alternative-metal band will have to overcome yet another challenge.

"It's not the way I wanted to kick off my holiday, that's for sure," said DROWNING POOL bassist Stevie Benton.

DROWNING POOL had just returned home after months of touring. The band arrived in Dallas Wednesday morning. That's when they discovered that much of their equipment had been stolen.

"We're just a struggling rock band on the road making a living," said Benton. "We don't have $10,000 in the bank to run to the store or guitar center and replace all this stuff."

It happened at Universal Rehearsal in North Dallas. That's where DROWNING POOL stores their gear when they're out on tour. Other rock bands rehearse and store their valuable equipment there too.

"When they're ripped off, they're crippled," said Vince Barnhill, Universal Rehearsal. "Some of these guys save years upon years of money to buy just one guitar or one amplifier."

The theft was caught on camera. Two men broke into the building early Wednesday morning. Minutes later, they were hauling away amplifiers and other valuable sound equipment.

"There are 88 rooms here. They could have broken into any other room. They came to this one, and they came here with bolt cutters," said Barnhill.

DROWNING POOL has insurance, but it only covers musical equipment that is stolen in other cities when the band is on tour. The insurance does not cover equipment that is stored while the band is out of town.

Watch the KTVT-TV report on the DROWNING POOL equipment theft at this location.