OC Jamboree building sold at auction
The site of the former OC Jamboree performing arts theater, located in the Route 611 business center on Marjan Lane in West Ocean City, was sold at auction today to Sunsations owner Avraham Sibony for a total of $950,000. The auction was held inside the log cabin-themed theater at the property site.
Bill Hudson of Atlantic Auctions hosted the event, with auctioneer Ray Nichols taking bids. The bidding began at $100,000, but quickly rose in price until Sibony put in his final bid.
"We had a pretty lively auction today," Nichols commented. "It's a good property, and I think the new owner has plenty of opportunities to do something good with it."
Following the real estate auction, bidders had the opportunity to purchase various property held within the OC Jamboree, including player pianos, pump organs, speaker systems and maintenance equipment.
The property was formerly a music performance theater owned by David Weatherholtz a resident of Berlin. In December 2014, officers went undercover as a 13-year-old boy, chatting with Weatherholtz, then 55, over the internet. Ultimately, Weatherholtz solicited the boy for sex, and agreed to meet at a nearby McDonald's. Weatherholtz was then arrested on attempting to solicit sex from a minor, one of 18 arrested in Worcester County during the sting operation, USA Today reported.
Following Weatherholtz's arrest, police searched his home and found a wide variety of sex toys and child pornography. Later, a victim came forward claiming the Weatherholtz forced him to perform sex acts after giving him a private music lesson. Police suspect Weatherholtz to have had other victims during his 16 years operating businesses in Worcester County, and that he possibly used the performing arts center as a means to entice victims. Weatherholtz was federally indicted in March 2015, and faces a potential life in prison. He is currently being held at a federal medical facility in Massachusetts.
As for the 256-seat theater, the property has remained closed since Weatherholtz's arrest, and was inevitably seized by the U.S. Bank in January of 2016. . Featuring 1.07 acres of land, 37 vehicle parking spaces and 1,244 square feet of floor space, the theater offers a broad range of potential uses for the buyer. Despite this, Sibony had little to say about his purchase.
"We have no plans yet, we're still going through the process," Sibony said. "But it's not going to be another Sunsations."