A man that Bowling for Soup has accused of using drummer Gary Wiseman’s name to get free food was the suspect in an Amber Alert out of Colorado on Tuesday night.
DENTON COUNTY, Texas — Bowling for Soup, a pop-punk sensation across the world, is a proud North Texas band.
But, with fame, there can sometimes come trouble.
In early November, Bowling for Soup lead singer Jaret Reddick posted a video on social media in which he said he was receiving messages about a man in the Denver area who was pretending to be the band’s drummer, Gary Wiseman.
Fans told him the man was impersonating Wiseman to get free food. Reddick, in that first social media post on the matter, laughed about the absurdity of the report.
He wasn’t overly concerned. After all, it’s not uncommon for celebrities to be impersonated.
But this week, Reddick said, the situation escalated.
“This is a whole new level,” he said. “It’s not funny anymore at all.”
On Tuesday, Westminster Police in Colorado received a call about a possible kidnapping. An Amber Alert was sent out about a missing 13-year-old girl . When the suspect’s photos were posted, it quickly became clear it was the same man that Reddick believed was pretending to be Wiseman.
Reddick immediately took to social media again to ask his followers to help find the man he believed to be Wiseman’s impersonator.
Wiseman, a father himself, feared the worst.
“My stomach just dropped,” Wiseman said.
Added Reddick: “Just to think, though, that days before this, he was pretending to be Gary — and now he’s wanted.”
The best outcome came out of this Amber Alert: The girl was found safe, and police later arrested the person they were looking for in the kidnapping, a man named Bradford Eblen.
“Let’s hope they keep this guy off the streets for a while,” Reddick said.
At the time of this writing, however, the Westminster Police said they are still conducting interviews on the matter and have not formally charged the suspect with any crime. For the time being, he’s being held on a parole warrant.
Further investigation will determine if Eblen is involved in any other cases.
As for Wiseman? He said it’s frustrating that his name was used to con people. But he is also clear to point out that he is not the victim here. He hopes the story can prevent danger from happening to others in the future.
“It’s a real-life instance of a conversation to have with your kids or loved ones,” Wiseman said. “People aren’t always who they say they are, and you’ve got to be aware of your situation.”