WPD: Guitar Center Teacher Stole Guitars

WARWICK, RI — Officers say a Guitar Center teacher stole guitars after catching him stealing one from the Bald Hill Road store March 1 at 5:22 p.m., leading to embezzlement and cocaine possession charges.

According to the report of Officer Yadira Allen, she and Officer Nicholas Manocchio arrived at the 1245 Bald Hill Road shop, called there by the manager. The manager told them a teacher giving a lesson there, Ryan Iavarone, 47, of Mendon Road, Cumberland, RI, had stolen a guitar from the shop. Iavarone was in the process of leaving the store with the guitar, the manager said.

Allen reported observing Iavarone leave the store without paying for the guitar, stopping him in the foyer and ordering him to go back into the store. The manager told him he needed to inspect his bag, and Iavarone returned to his studio where he had been giving lessons, set down the bag, and removed a guitar from it, placing it on a stand.

The guitar was stolen, a Dean Zelinsky Dellaterra custom, valued at $999.00 dollars. The manager told the officers he wanted to press charges and to also issue a no-trespass order against Iavarone.

The manager said he suspected Iavarone, an employee since 2019, had also stolen a Mike Dirnt Signature guitar listed on the store’s website for $899.99. He said the manager of Empire Guitars, 1171 N. Main St., had called to tell him the guitar had been sold to that store recently.

As Manocchio was handcuffing Iavarone, the man repeatedly reached into the back waistband of his pants. Manocchio retrieved a spoon with what he suspected was fentanyl on it from Iavarone’s back waistband, according to the report.

A thorough search of Iavarone turned up five plastic baggies of white powder substance in a pill container for Bupropion HCL 100MG prescribed to Iavarone, according to the report. Manocchio also located 2.5 pills taped to a cigarette pack.

Allen transported him to Warwick Police Headquarters, 99 Veterans Memorial Drive, where he was strip searched due to white powder found on his seat in the cruiser, turning up no additional contraband. Iavarone also admitted to stealing the second guitar, according to the report.

He was processed and charged with two counts of embezzlement, and two counts of possession of a schedule I-V controlled substance, including cocaine.

Iavarone was arraigned on the charges in Third District Court March 3, scheduled for a June 3 court screening and released on $10,000.00 (@10%  $1,000.00) surety bond and $3,000 personal recognizance, with the conditions of Pretrial Services to Monitor and the No Trespassing order.

A further investigation by WPD Det. Adam Arico revealed another 23 stolen guitars Iavarone had pawned, which Iavarone subsequently also admitted to.