Man accused of setting fire to playground dedicated to boy who died in 2012
LAKE MARY, Fla. - An arrest has been made in the destruction of a playground at an Ormond Beach park dedicated to a 12-year-old boy who was killed in vehicle-related death nearly a decade ago.
Zachary Shane Edwards, 51, is charged with felony vandalism after investigators said he set fires at the Cameron Brenneman playground at Sanchez Park on the morning of Dec. 15.
According to an arrest report, Edwards notified the Ormond Beach Police Department that his bicycle had been stolen on Dec. 14. Officers said the bicycle in question was located at the playground, along with an unopened pack of cigarettes, aerosol cans, and unopened pieces of mail that belonged to nearby residents.
Police officers said they obtained video from security cameras that were pointed toward the park and footage from those cameras appeared to show Edwards lighting several fires at the playground.
Zachary Shane Edwards, 51, is charged with felony vandalism after investigators said he set fires at the Cameron Brenneman playground at Sanchez Park on the morning of Dec. 15.
Edwards came to the police station on Wednesday to claim the bicycle that he had reported as stolen and was confronted by detectives. During an interview, they said he confessed to vandalizing the playground.
Brenneman died in 2012 when investigators said his sister lost control of the truck she was driving and ran over her brother outside a middle school.
Investigators said Edwards wrote an apology letter for Brenneman's mother, which read, "Mrs. Brenneman, I truly hope you can forgive me of this terrible thing that I have done. I have been off of my meds for months and I'm really out of touch with reality. I believe that I have terrible anger issues but not towards your family. Please forgive me. Zachery Edwards."
Edwards was also charged with making a false police report and violation of pre-trial release. He is currently at the Volusia County Branch Jail being held with no bond.
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