Church missing items

A hefty load of band instruments and equipment went missing last week from a Rathdrum house of worship, and church keys figure prominently in the search to find the culprit.

The items reported stolen from New Life Church have an estimated value of $10,550 and include three guitars, a bass, amps and three microphones.

The instruments were taken from the church's locked music room, according a Kootenai County Sheriff's Office report. A church employee told a deputy that he was "shocked" someone had stolen such a large amount of equipment from the room.

The employee said he believes the culprit is someone who has access to the key to the music room. The man told the deputy that approximately 25 members of the church have keys and there is also one key that is kept in a central location inside the church. This key, according to the report, is "secure only by having the knowledge of where it is kept."

The pastor of New Life Church said he noticed the equipment was missing Saturday, April 19, but due to "time constraints" he could not report the crime until the next day.