Soldier says his dream truck was stolen, torched

Vehicle found destroyed in woods

DeLAND, Fla. – A soldier's dream truck is now burned to a crisp after he said someone stole it from his driveway and torched it miles down the road.

Private First Class James Trent, 24, said he's had his 2003 Ford F250 for two months and invested $15,000 to customize it before it disappeared Sunday night.

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"I have no idea who would want to do this to me," Trent said.

Trent is in the Army and hasn't been home in more than a year. He's only driven his truck a handful of times.

"I was overseas. We just did a tour through the Middle East and just got back on leave and trying to spend time with family," he said.

On Tuesday, Trent said he got an anonymous tip about his truck and found it in the woods across the street from Daytona State College DeLand Campus. It was burned inside and out.

Trent's mother said they live in a safe neighborhood and she doesn't understand why someone would steal something her son has worked so hard to purchase. 

"I'm very angered by this and why someone would do that to us and him and take away the one pride and joy he's had from serving our country," Leila Davis said. "We miss him terribly when he's gone and for this to happen on his leave home, we haven't seen him in a year, it's made his leave somber, to be honest with you."

The family has filed a report and the Volusia County Sheriff's Office is investigating.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help Trent get a new truck.


About the Author:

Loren Korn is a native Texan who joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2014. She was born and raised in Houston and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Journalism.

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