VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A DeBary couple came back from vacation earlier this week to find that their home had been burglarized — and a former police officer is the suspect, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.
In an affidavit, deputies said they responded to a home in DeBary on Wednesday evening after receiving reports about the burglary.
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The two homeowners told the arriving deputies that they had been on vacation in Texas for the past week. Upon their return home, the couple found the house unlocked, and much of their jewelry and credit cards were missing, deputies added.
In addition, the couple found that there had been two attempted $2,000 withdrawals from their bank account by “Internet Hard Rock,” though the bank noticed the strange activity and kept the withdrawals from going through, the affidavit reads.
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According to investigators, the missing items and their estimated values were as follows:
- Diamond engagement ring — $25,000
- Ruby pendant — $5,200
- Gold necklace — $5,000
- Japanese string pearl necklace — $5,000
- Various necklaces and bracelets — $2,500
- Tennis bracelets — $2,000
- 1.5-carat diamond pendant — $2,000
- Diamond earrings — $1,500
- Mikimoto pearl ring — $500
- Short pearl necklace — $500
- Black Sonos speaker — $500
- Italian broach — $300
- Passport
- Three checkbooks
- Three credit cards
- Car fobs
In all, the estimated value of the missing items was around $50,000.
After the investigation began, the checkbooks and a gold pendant were later found in a family member’s bedroom, investigators said.
However, that family member told detectives that he had been hanging out with a Tavares man — identified as Theodore Pearl, 28 — who suggested going to the DeBary couple’s home and stealing their belongings, the affidavit says.
As a result, the family member said, he and Pearl broke into the home and took the items, with Pearl intending to sell them off for money, according to detectives.
Using the family member’s phone, detectives found messages indicating Pearl’s role in the burglary, and so he was arrested.
On Thursday, the Tavares Police Department announced that Pearl was a former officer at the agency, and the police department was “saddened” to hear the news of his arrest.
“We don’t condone criminal behavior of any kind,” the release states. “We hope that the justice system prevails for the victims in this case.”
Pearl faces charges of dealing in stolen property, organized scheme to defraud, grand theft and burglary. He is held on bond of $171,000.
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