Two Lockland men were arrested on January 29, 2015 in Covington after police said they tried to sell fake tickets to an upcoming Elton John concert at US Bank Arena.

Police said Bennie Bowman and Kenneth Hutson were caught in the act after an Independence couple bought the fake tickets on Craigslist this week. Jerri Lowe said he wanted to surprise his fiancé with tickets to the February 27, 2015 concert as a Valentine’s Day gift. That’s when he said he found a pair of second-row tickets on Craigslist for only $200 each.

"I couldn't believe it,” Lowe said. “I looked at the seats and I was just amazed and instantly I started asking, ‘Where did you get the tickets because I'm pretty sure it's a sold-out show?’ And he tells me he bought them from (another) guy off of Craigslist." Lowe said the seller’s response had him skeptical, but he agreed to buy them anyway.

He said he started doing some research on the tickets and reached out to the seller a second time pretending to be someone else on January 29, 2015 morning. "I asked him if he could send me a picture of the tickets that he had… and he sent me a picture of the exact tickets that (I) had purchased the night before." Lowe said his next move was to call the Covington Police Department.

Officers advised Lowe to set up a meeting with the seller at the Frisch's Big Boy Restaurant at 520 West 5th St. in Covington. That allowed police to swoop in and arrest the two men who showed up: Bowman and Hutson. "In (Bowman and Hutson’s) passenger visor were 10 additional counterfeit tickets,” Covington Police Det. Jim Miskanin said. “There were two sets of three of the same tickets for Elton John.”

Bowman and Hutson were taken to the Kenton County Jail. Hutson was charged with theft by deception and third-degree criminal possession of forged documents. Bowman was charged with theft by deception, third-degree criminal possession of forged documents and possession of drug paraphernalia.

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