Bunbury
Refugee
A Florida man who impersonated CREED guitarist Mark Tremonti, running up large tabs at bars and restaurants and stealing more than $1,000 from a woman, was sentenced to 25 months in prison Friday (Dec. 19), according to the St. Petersburg Times.
Kevin Eckenrod is described as a nomadic career criminal who has more than 30 aliases and had amassed more than 60 criminal charges in Florida over the last decade, many of them for scamming and swindling. He also has pretended to be the son of New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.
Eckenrod, 40, is said to have a slight resemblance to Tremonti, though he was 11 years older than the guitarist when he pulled the scam. Residents and bar-goers along other Pinellas beaches also reported seeing someone posing as Tremonti last spring.
When Clearwater police arrested Eckenrod in April, he told officers: "It's my hustle. I am a stone-cold alcoholic, and it's my way of getting my drinks and a place to stay."
He also said: "This is getting old, but you have to admit, I do look like the guy from CREED."
Prosecutor Bill Burgess said an attorney for the rock guitarist called him and said Tremonti wanted Eckenrod sent to prison.
"His client was very concerned about this (and) he wanted to make sure the case was thoroughly prosecuted," Burgess said.
Why wasn't the real guy imprisoned to for crimes against music??
Kevin Eckenrod is described as a nomadic career criminal who has more than 30 aliases and had amassed more than 60 criminal charges in Florida over the last decade, many of them for scamming and swindling. He also has pretended to be the son of New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.
Eckenrod, 40, is said to have a slight resemblance to Tremonti, though he was 11 years older than the guitarist when he pulled the scam. Residents and bar-goers along other Pinellas beaches also reported seeing someone posing as Tremonti last spring.
When Clearwater police arrested Eckenrod in April, he told officers: "It's my hustle. I am a stone-cold alcoholic, and it's my way of getting my drinks and a place to stay."
He also said: "This is getting old, but you have to admit, I do look like the guy from CREED."
Prosecutor Bill Burgess said an attorney for the rock guitarist called him and said Tremonti wanted Eckenrod sent to prison.
"His client was very concerned about this (and) he wanted to make sure the case was thoroughly prosecuted," Burgess said.
Why wasn't the real guy imprisoned to for crimes against music??
I was thinking the same thing, martha
I dont' think I'd tell the edge to shove it..........I'd buy him the drink
