Stolen Band Equipment Recovered by Sheriff’s Deputies — Last Tuesday

The music instruments and equipment stolen from the Marshall Fundamental School’s Mighty Eagles Band which led to an outpouring of public support for the forlorn young musicians were actually found last Tuesday by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department but not returned to the band before the outcry.

In a press release, the Sheriff’s Department said the stolen gear was found by deputies  ”on Tuesday, March 3, 2015,” days before band member parents made a desperate public appeal for help as two major band performances were approaching and the band had few instruments to play.

Captain Christopher Reed of the Altadena Sheriff’s station told Timothy Rutt of Altadena Point that the  musical cases and electronic equipment marked “Property of Pasadena School District” were found in a car during an incident by deputies in the  2800 block of East Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena.

Reed said the car and the contents were towed to a Los Angeles County impound storage for forensic processing scheduled for next Monday, March 9.

Reed also said that deputies reported the find to the Pasadena Unified School District last Wednesday.

On Friday, during the media storm about the band’s predicament, a Sheriff’s deputy realized the impounded gear must be Marshall band’s lost instruments.

Reed said the Sheriff’s Department contacted the Pasadena police to report the find. Reed also said that it is unknown how much of the stolen equipment was recovered. He also said that the forensic processing has been expedited.

After Pasadena Now broke the story of the theft Thursday and how the students could not perform at two important events this week, Pasadena Unified found instruments for the band to use temporarily.

Band member parent Sabina Gutierrez set up a GoFundMe account to collect donations for the band to buy replacement instruments and a flood of public response brought in over $12,000.