Musical instruments and sound equipment valued at $2,700 recently were stolen from the Luckey Baptist Church in the 5200 block of Hwy. Y in the De Soto area, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reports.
In addition, it looked like someone tried to start a fire at the scene, the report said.
The burglary occurred between 8 p.m. Jan. 6 and 5:30 a.m. Jan. 7, when someone broke glass out of the front door to get inside and steal the items, the report said.
The burglary was discovered after firefighters were sent to the church about a possible fire in a nearby dumpster. When firefighters arrived on the scene, they noticed that the door was open and glass was broken out of it, according to the report.
A deputy arrived and found ashes near the front door that looked like it was from cardboard that had been taken out of the church and burned there. One piece of cardboard that did not burn was taken as evidence so it could be examined for fingerprints, the report said.
A fruit snack box and a fruit drink found at the scene also were taken as evidence, according to the report.
The items stolen from the church included a black Roland electric piano; a five-string banjo; a dark wood guitar; a 1,000-watt PA system; a four-channel PA system; and two Sure microphones, the report said.
As of Friday (Jan. 22), the stolen items had not been recovered, and there were no suspects or arrests, said Lt. Gary Higginbotham of the Sheriff’s Office.
He asks anyone with information about the incident to call the Sheriff’s Office tip line at 636-797-5515.