Randy Harris, the owner of Tomahawk's Smokehouse and Saloon in Jefferson, says if you bought a ticket to see David Allan Coe from someone besides him, the police may want to speak with you.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Randy Harris, the owner of Tomahawk's Smokehouse and Saloon in Jefferson, says if you bought a ticket to see David Allan Coe from someone besides him, the police may want to speak with you.
Monday night, after employees closed the bar and restaurant, someone broke in, knocked down a door and stole an office safe containing about $7,000 and tickets worth almost $10,000 for the outlaw country singer's Oct. 23 show. The break-in wasn't discovered until morning.
The Kanawha County Sheriff's Department is investigating, but Harris said, "Everyone is convinced it's an inside job."
The thieves, he said, knew what they were looking for. They took only one safe, but left others containing less valuable items and business papers. Three laptops, two expensive cameras and several unsigned checks on a nearby office desk were untouched. Surveillance cameras and recording equipment were ripped out and removed from the premises.
"My first concern was making payroll," Harris said. "And, of course, the tickets."
Harris said 273 tickets have been sold for David Allan Coe. Many of the tickets stolen were already spoken for and belong to customers who purchased them online, but hadn't picked them up. Harris said there are e-mail and credit card records for each transaction. Replacement tickets for online customers will be waiting for them at the door on the night of the show.
However, for customers who bought their tickets in person at Tomahawk's things could get sticky. Records of those transactions are sketchy since some of the tickets were paid for in cash.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Randy Harris, the owner of Tomahawk's Smokehouse and Saloon in Jefferson, says if you bought a ticket to see David Allan Coe from someone besides him, the police may want to speak with you.
Monday night, after employees closed the bar and restaurant, someone broke in, knocked down a door and stole an office safe containing about $7,000 and tickets worth almost $10,000 for the outlaw country singer's Oct. 23 show. The break-in wasn't discovered until morning.
The Kanawha County Sheriff's Department is investigating, but Harris said, "Everyone is convinced it's an inside job."
The thieves, he said, knew what they were looking for. They took only one safe, but left others containing less valuable items and business papers. Three laptops, two expensive cameras and several unsigned checks on a nearby office desk were untouched. Surveillance cameras and recording equipment were ripped out and removed from the premises.
"My first concern was making payroll," Harris said. "And, of course, the tickets."
Harris said 273 tickets have been sold for David Allan Coe. Many of the tickets stolen were already spoken for and belong to customers who purchased them online, but hadn't picked them up. Harris said there are e-mail and credit card records for each transaction. Replacement tickets for online customers will be waiting for them at the door on the night of the show.
However, for customers who bought their tickets in person at Tomahawk's things could get sticky. Records of those transactions are sketchy since some of the tickets were paid for in cash.
Harris worries what will happen if the stolen tickets are sold on the street.
"I can't just let everybody in," he said. "Tomahawk's isn't big enough to handle an extra 200 people. I can't afford to do it, even if I did let them in."
He still has to pay Coe.
So far, the only idea he has is to automatically consider suspect any ticket numbered over 300. These were the tickets in the safe. Harris said the Sheriff's Department is investigating and if someone shows one of these tickets at the door, an officer may ask where they got it.
Valid and reissued tickets, unless otherwise cleared by Harris and Tomahawk's, will be printed with numbers under 300.
The break-in has been very disheartening for Harris. He bought Tomahawk's last year, made repairs and has updated the place. Lately, the restaurant and bar has featured a number of touring performers including "American Idol" contestant turned country singer Bucky Covington, former Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle and singer Ashton Shepherd.
"It's hard," he said. "It's our first break-in, our first real brush with criminal activity since we took over the place."
Reach Bill Lynch at ly...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5195.
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