July 15, 2008
Brandon Haught
Public Information Office

SHERIFF’S OFFICE INVESTIGATES DELTONA HOME INVASION 

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an early morning armed home invasion Tuesday in Deltona that resulted in a teenager being transported by EVAC ambulance to the hospital with a non-life threatening head wound. According to the victims, four men with guns broke in through the front door and immediately started hitting some of the victims while also holding others at gunpoint. There apparently was a struggle between some victims and the suspects, but no shots were fired during the incident. The attackers fled with cash stolen from the six victims. Responding deputies set up a perimeter, but the suspects were not found. 

The ordeal started at approximately 1:23 a.m. at 2752 Courtland Blvd. when a man and woman who were watching television in the living room heard a knock at the front door. Joshua Jones went to answer it, but before he got to the door, the suspects kicked it open and burst inside. They started hitting Jones right away. The woman he was with, Megan Mooney, tried to get away, but some of the suspects chased her down and pointed a gun at her head. The suspects then went through the house rounding up the other people there. However, one victim, Joseph Matthews, heard what was going on, jumped out of his bedroom window, ran to a neighbor’s house and called 911. Meanwhile, there was some fighting between the male victims and their attackers, leaving 17-year-old Chad Best and 18-year-old Jones with head injuries. The suspects forced some of the victims to look for money and hand it over. The suspect then fled. 

Jones was treated on scene for his head injury while Best was taken to Florida Hospital Fish Memorial in Orange City. 

The suspects were described as all black males dressed in all black clothes and had their faces covered with shirts. The victims told deputies that they believe the suspects were armed with handguns, and one of them might have had an assault rifle. Three suspects were about 6’ tall and the fourth was about 6’5”. 

Anyone with information about the home invasion is asked to contact investigator Thomas Sylvester at (386) 860-7030 or Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida, toll-free, at 1-888-277-TIPS.  Callers to Crime Stoppers will remain anonymous and can qualify for a reward of up to $1,000.