Ring back on finger after 25 years

LAKELAND, Fla., June 7 (UPI) -- A Florida man who lost his class ring at a concert 25 years ago said it was returned to him by a man who worked at the event.

Mike Sabatino said he lost his Manatee High School ring during a fight at a Ted Nugent concert at the Lakeland Civic Center when he was a teenager, Bay News 9, St. Petersburg, Fla., reported Tuesday.

"During the song 'Cat Scratch Fever,' there's a group of guys that decided they didn't like me or something and kinda roughed me up pretty good," Sabatino said.

He said he never expected to see the ring again until his sister, Wendy, recently received a message on Facebook.

"When Cosmo Wilson, a stage hand, was breaking down stage, he saw it and picked it up," Sabatino said. "He kept it all of these years."

Wilson said he hung onto the ring instead of throwing it away in the hopes of someday locating its owner. He said he recently decided to post a description of the ring on Facebook and the responses led him to try to contact Sabatino through Wendy.

Sabatino said he is hoping he will soon be able to meet in person with Wilson, who now tours the world as a lighting director for bands including the Rolling Stones.