Church’s stolen $1,500 drum kit found set up in a homeless camp, Florida sheriff says

An elaborate 10-piece drum kit stolen from the sanctuary of a Florida church was recovered in the most unexpected of places, when deputies searched a homeless camp, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.

It was there they found the Pearl drum set had been reassembled for playing — in the woods, the sheriff’s office said in a Jan. 15 news release.

“The pastor of New Destiny Community Church of DeLand recently discovered the church was burglarized, and a $1,500 drum set was missing,” the sheriff’s office said.

“With knowledge of a homeless camp in the woods nearby, deputies made contact with the occupants of the camp and found the drums in a tent where (a man) was sleeping.“

The 22-year-old tenant of the structure said the drums had been at the camp for a week, while he held them for someone else, officials said. However, he later “admitted to the burglary” during questioning, officials said.

Investigators did not reveal what the man intended to do with the drums, including whether he had been playing them.

An affidavit revealed a deputy discovered the drum kit after following an extension cord that led from the church to a space heater in the homeless camp. The drum set was found covered with a tarp, just inside the door of a ramshackle structure built of pressed board, sheets of plastic and old carpeting for a floor, photos show.

Investigators suspect another person was involved in the church burglary, but a second arrest has yet to be made, officials said.

The homeless man has been charged with burglary of an unoccupied structure, grand theft, carrying a concealed weapon and possession of paraphernalia, officials said. Bond was set at $6,000, jail records show.

New Destiny Community Church discovered the burglary Jan. 15, and reported the drum kit had last been seen Jan. 8, a report states. The church is in a rural area outside of northwest DeLand, about 40 miles north of Orlando.

“The drums were carried out of the woods and returned to the church,” the sheriff’s office said.

This story was originally published January 18, 2023 at 9:56 AM with the headline "Church’s stolen $1,500 drum kit found set up in a homeless camp, Florida sheriff says."