LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — On Sept. 5, Robert J. Drennen was arrested and booked into Palm Beach County Jail. He was charged with grand theft.
According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, Drennen was identified as the suspect through an investigation and both pieces of artwork he stole were recovered from his home after a search warrant was issued.
Gary Kroman is a Palm Beach County artist who sells his work in a boutique downtown. On Aug. 10, Kroman said a man entered the business on 700 block of Lake Avenue in Lake Worth Beach and switched price tags from his gallery.
Now, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputies are in the hunt for the suspect. They said the thief took $6,500 worth of Kroman’s artwork and only paid about $50.
“It feels like someone punched you in the stomach and the air went out of you," stated Kroman. "It took a lot time to do, it’s an important piece.”
PBSO officials are searching for this tag-switching thief. He is accused of taking $6,500 worth of custom artwork from a gallery in Lake Worth Beach. He swapped price tags from two art pieces and ended up paying only $50. pic.twitter.com/uor2Slopky
— Zitlali Solache (@zitlalisolache) September 3, 2024
Kroman said video footage recorded the suspect walking in and swapping out the price tags of two art pieces.
One piece was valued at $5,000 and was swapped with a $22 price tag. Another piece was a hand-painted skateboard that went for on $1,200 and was swapped with a $35 price tag.
Kroman said a recently employed boutique worker rang up the suspect unaware of the real value of the artwork.
“Pretty slick to think about, all you have to do is more around stickers on something and then you’ve got what you want," Kroman said.
He said he takes pride in his art and that is worth more to him than the money he lost.
“It was pretty painstaking," said Kroman. "It was all hand work that’s detailed and fine lined and all that stuff. A lot of thinking went into this.”
Kroman seeks answers and hopes to recover his artwork. PBSO urges anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-458-TIPS.
