Top Stories: Half a dozen arrested in Harrington gang investigation. Growing need for bus passes in Sussex County. 23-year-old arrested on murder charges in Dover.
Weather: A warm-weather weekend is ahead with well above average temperatures and dry conditions. But a big cool down is on the way next week.
Delaware State Police have arrested 19-year-old Dyquan Snead of Harrington, DE following a traffic stop that occurred on Thursday night.
On April 21st, 2022 at approximately 11:45 p.m., a trooper on patrol in the Lewes, DE area observed a white Nissan Altima traveling northbound on Coastal Highway in the area of Nassau Road. A computer inquiry of the vehicle’s registration revealed that the owner of the Altima, who was listed as Dyquan Snead, had a suspended driver’s license and an active warrant for his arrest. The trooper confirmed Snead was the operator, and a traffic stop was initiated. Upon contacting Snead, a strong odor of marijuana was detected emitting from the vehicle’s interior. Snead was taken into custody without incident, and a subsequent search of the Altima led to the discovery of approximately 90.19 grams of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, over $380 in suspected drug proceeds, and a Smith & Wesson handgun with an obliterated serial number.
Snead was transported to Troop 7 and charged with the following offenses:
Snead was arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court # 3 and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $70,500 cash bond.
Six people have been arrested after an investigation into a wanted individual.
Delaware State Police say on April 20, they responded to the area of Mill Street in Harrington to arrest 22-year-old Khaliell Pitts of Felton for a probation violation. Pitts allegedly fled on foot when contacted by officers, he was arrested a short pursuit later without incident and reportedly has about 1.5 grams of marijuana.
Police say 23-year-old Marc Johnson of Milford, 24-year-old Jackie Mitchell of Dover, 20-year-old Jajuan Reid of Harrington, 21-year-old Tyler Ellingsworth-Conde of Viola, and 24-year-old Laquan Johnson of Wilmington were all with Pitts.
Police say Johnson also fled on foot at was apprehended and found a loaded handgun on him.
Officers also uncovered an additional 123.94 grams of marijuana on Ellingsworth-Conde and Reid had 4.5 grams of marijuana on him.
The following charges were levied on the suspects:
Khaliell Pitts
Illegal Gang Participation (Felony)
Conspiracy Second Degree (Felony)
Resisting Arrest
Possession of Marijuana
Pitts was issued a $6,001 secured bond and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution.
Marc Johnson
Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited (Felony)
Possession of a Firearm While Possessing a Controlled Substance (Felony)
Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon (Felony)
Illegal Gang Participation (Felony)
Conspiracy Second Degree (Felony)
Resisting Arrest
Possession of Marijuana
Marc Johnson was issued a $43,000 cash bond and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution.
Tyler Ellingsworth-Conde
Possession With Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substance (Felony)
Illegal Gang Participation (Felony)
Conspiracy Second Degree (Felony)
Resisting Arrest
Ellingsworth-Conde was released on his own recognizance.
Jackie Mitchell
Illegal Gang Participation (Felony)
Conspiracy Second Degree (Felony)
Mitchell was issued a $15,000 cash bond and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution.
Laquan Johnson
Illegal Gang Participation (Felony)
Conspiracy Second Degree (Felony)
Laquan Johnson was issued a $15,000 cash bond and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution.
Jajuan Reid
Possession of Marijuana
Reid was issued a civil citation and released.
Top Stories: Laurel woman speaking out after her car was broken into, sentimental necklace stolen. A Millsboro man was wanted on robbery charges at a Starbucks. Delaware Office of Highway Safety launched a motorcycle safety campaign.
Weather: Clouds will finally begin to clear out later tonight with an even nicer Friday ahead. Not to mention a very warm weekend in store with plenty of sunshine.
A Laurel woman is speaking out after her car was broken into and her late brother’s necklace was stolen.
Angel Oliver says her heart dropped when she woke up Tuesday morning and learned that a man had broke into her car the night before and stole a gold necklace that belonged to her brother who passed away seven years ago.
“The morning after it happened, I got on Facebook,” Angel said. “My neighbor had posted a video about a man that was trying to get into his car and he said for all the neighbors to check their cameras. I checked the front cameras, and sure enough, 12:45, got a hit, watched the video and there’s a man who walks right up to my car and opens the drivers door and gets into my car. And you can see him going through stuff in my car.”
Angel said as soon as she saw what happened on her surveillance video, she realized that she had left her late brother’s gold necklace in a cup holder inside her vehicle. Fighting back tears, she explained to us what the necklace means to her and her family.
“He’s [Angel’s late brother] been gone seven years and I never take it off,” Angel explained. “I take it off to get in the shower, or if I’m doing something where I don’t want to break it, I take it with me, it just happened to be in the car the one time I forgot to lock my car, I always lock my car, always.”
The necklace is the only thing left that Angel has of her late brother. She pleaded with the suspect directly, hoping he see’s the interview, urging him to return it, vowing not to pursue anything any further if he just returns the necklace.
“That’s the only thing I have from him,” Angel stressed. “I just want, if you can just leave it somewhere, I won’t show your face, I won’t show anything, I won’t pursue this anymore, but I’m going to continue to pursue this until I find you, to at least find out what you did with it to see if I can get it back, but no questions asked if you return this to me I won’t pursue this anymore. I just want the necklace.”
The same suspect, who appears to have been carrying a backup at the time of the incident, was also caught on another resident’s camera, just a few houses down on 6th street in Laurel.
Laurel Police are aware of the incident and are investigating.
Millsboro Police are looking for a man they say is the suspect of a robbery.
Brandon Staats is accused of robbing the Starbucks in the 28000 block of Dupont Blvd in Millsboro on Thursday (4/20). According to police, Staats stole an undisclosed amount of cash and fled the scene and rammed a bystander’s vehicle when they attempted to intervene. Police also accuse Staats of dragging an employee across the parking lot several feet, resulting in minor injuries to that person.
Staats is wanted for 2nd-degree Robbery, leaving the scene of a property collision, driving while suspended or revoked and reckless driving.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts should contact Millsboro Police at 302-934-8174 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at 800-TIP-3333.
Top Stories: Two arrested on drug charges in Milford. New Jersey man charged with indecent exposure in Newark. Governor Carney announces staffing changes.
Weather: High pressure begins to settle in keeping the warmer temperatures around but will see an increase in clouds later tonight. Warmer weather is on the way this weekend as well.
Governor John Carney on Tuesday announced that Jonathan Starkey, Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications, will leave the Office of the Governor early next month to join Newark-based private student lender Sallie Mae as Director of Corporate Communications.
“Jon has been a core member of our team since Day 1,” said Governor Carney. “His experience and strategic advice were critical in helping us navigate through a long list of challenges over the past 5 and a half years, and I’m especially grateful for his leadership in driving our communication efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jon’s discipline and focus around defining and implementing our Administration’s priorities have helped us follow through on our commitments to the people we represent. Most important of all, Jon has served as a sounding board and advisor on the many difficult decisions we’ve had to make during my time in office. Jon’s willingness and ability to deliver honest feedback and straightforward advice, always with a sense of humor, will be missed.”
Emily David Hershman, currently the Director of Engagement & Special Projects, will take on the role of Director of Communications and serve as the Office of the Governor’s main point of contact for the media.
Jessica Borcky Weinberg, currently the Deputy Communications Director/Digital Director, will take on the new role of Director of Digital Government & Senior Advisor to the Governor, responsible for coordinating digital government activities across cabinet agencies, and creating content to communicate Governor Carney’s priorities to the public.
“Jess and Emily have been critical members of our team for years as we’ve navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, and engaged with Delawareans on any number of issues from education to the economy and public health,” said Governor Carney. “They share an incredible work ethic and a dedication to public service. I’m confident that Jess and Emily are the right people for the job. And I know they’ll step up in their new roles and continue to serve our state well.”
Top Stories: Delawareans urge DPH not to institute another mask mandate. One was arrested, and one was sought in Laurel theft investigation. Compassionate Hearts holds event to benefit veterans.
Weather: Breezy and chilly conditions continue into the overnight hours tonight. Warm temperatures are in store for Wednesday before a bigger warm-up is on the way this weekend.
Two men were arrested after police say a traffic stop turned up drugs in Milford.
According to the Milford Police Department, the incident occurred around 7:30 a.m., April 11, as an officer was conducting a uniformed patrol in the area of N. Walnut St. and Buccaneer Blvd. when he observed a white Chrysler 300 with dark window tint.
Further investigation revealed that the vehicle did not have a tint waiver, at which time police say a traffic stop was conducted and the driver was identified as 19-year-old James Eley, of Milford, with passenger 21-year-old Tyone Matthews, of Dover.
As officers made contact with Eley, an odor of marijuana was found emanating from the vehicle, and both occupants were removed. Officers located large zip lock bags containing a total of 97.5 grams of marijuana, a digital scale, and a black smith and Wesson hand gun under the passenger seat.
Both parties were searched and Matthews was found to have oxycodone pills and large sum of currency on his person, according to police. Eley and Mathews were arrested and transported to the Milford Police Department. Warrants for both men were sent to a Justice of the Peace Court and approved.
Eley was charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia not related to personal quantity use (marijuana), and failure to have insurance identification. He was arraigned at the Justice of the Peace Court 3 and committed to The Sussex Correctional Institution in lieu of $10,500.00 secured bail.
Matthews was charged with Possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, two counts of possess purchase, own or control of a firearm or ammunition by a person prohibited, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, and carrying a concealed deadly weapon. Matthews was arraigned and committed to The Sussex Correction Institution in lieu of $55,000 secured bail.
One suspect was arrested and police are searching for a second wanted in connection with the theft and sale of a stolen trailer in Laurel.
According to the Delaware State Police Department, on March 28, troopers responded to the Accurate Pest Control business on Sussex Highway in Laurel for reports that a vehicle trailer had been stolen.
The ensuing investigation revealed that two suspects had stolen a Sure Trac trailer on March 26, according to police. The stolen trailer was later located on March 28 in Seaford after the suspects sold it to a third party.
Through investigative measures, police say it was determined that the two suspects were 29-year-old Jaread Mears and 39-year-old Chad Mitchell, both of Laurel, Delaware.
Mears was apprehended by Georgetown Police on April 15 after police say he tried to flee from officers on foot. He was charged with Theft Over $1,500 (Felony), Selling Stolen Property Over $1,500 (Felony), Conspiracy Second Degree (Felony), and Criminal Trespass Third Degree. He was arraigned and released on $6,050 unsecured bond.
Mitchell has yet to be located and has an active warrant for the same charges. Anyone with information as to his whereabouts is urged to contact police.
Top Stories: A fire causes over 1 million in damage to multiple homes in Dewey Beach. A man was shot in both legs outside Irish Mike’s in Dover. 17-year-old was killed in a serious crash near Lewes.
Weather: A coastal storm is beginning to develop this afternoon and evening bringing heavy rainfall, gusty winds, and coastal flooding concerns.
A Lincoln man is behind bars after police say he stole a car and led them on a chase through Rehoboth.
According to the Delaware State Police Department, the incident occurred around 5:10 p.m., Saturday as troopers responded to the 20,000 block of Coastal Highway in Rehoboth for a theft in progress.
A white male suspect was spotted going through vehicles on the property and was confronted by a witness, according to police. The suspect then fled towards the Loft apartments across the highway and located a 2006 Infiniti M35 running in the rear of the apartment complex.
Police say the suspect then entered the vehicle belonging to a 21-year-old male victim. As the first trooper arrived on scene, he reportedly witnessed the victim being dragged as he was attempting to open the driver side door to stop the suspect from driving away.
The trooper activated his emergency lights and sirens and tried to stop the suspect, but he fled in the stolen vehicle. A pursuit ensued onto westbound Lewes-Georgetown Highway where the suspect allegedly tried to strike a trooper who was in the process of deploying stop sticks.
The pursuit continued to the area of Route 30 and Reynolds Pond Road where a trooper successfully deployed stop sticks disabling the stolen car. The suspect, identified as 43-year-old William Tatman, was taken into custody without further incident.
Tatman has been charged with Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony (Felony)- 2 counts, Reckless Endangering First Degree (Felony)- 2 counts, Disregarding a Police Officer Signal (Felony), Theft of a Motor Vehicle (Felony), Theft Under $1,500- 3 counts, Resisting Arrest, and Numerous Traffic Violations. He was arraigned and committed to the Sussex Correctional Institution on $146,353.00 cash bond.
A 29-year-old man has been hospitalized after he was shot in both legs outside Irish Mike’s bar in Dover.
According to the Dover Police Department, shortly before 1 a.m., Saturday officers were called to the area of Irish Mike’s bar on Loockerman Street after receiving reported of shots fired. When officers arrived, they located a 29-year-old male victim in front of 8 Loockerman Street (Citizen’s Bank) with gunshot wounds to both upper legs.
Officers immediately rendered aid to the victim until emergency medical personnel arrived and transported him to Bayhealth Kent Campus where he remains hospitalized.
Officers located a trail of blood from the front sidewalk of Irish Mike’s to where the victim was located in front of Citizen’s Bank. Video surveillance showed a large disorderly crowd on South Bradford Street, just north of W. Loockerman Street. Police say the crowd dispersed quickly along with a small group of people in front of Irish Mikes, which may have been a result of shots being fired.
During the incident, the victim was spotted running away in the direction of Citizen’s Bank where he was found by officers.
If you wish to provide information on this case or other criminal activity, please contact the Dover Police Department at (302)736-7130. Callers may remain anonymous. Tips may also be submitted to law enforcement through Delaware Crime Stoppers at 800-TIP-3333.
A 17-year-old Middletown teen has died and several more were injured in a serious crash near Lewes.
According to the Delaware State Police Department, the crash occurred around 2:10 p.m., Friday as a 2012 Honda CR-V was traveling eastbound on Lewes-Georgetown Highway (Route 9), approaching the intersection at Ebb Tide Drive.
At the same time, police say a 2009 Ram 1500 was traveling westbound on Lewes-Georgetown Highway, crossing the intersection at Ebb Tide Drive. A non-contact vehicle was stopped eastbound waiting to turn left onto Ebb Tide Drive. A second non-contact vehicle was also slowing to a stop behind that vehicle.
The driver of the Honda failed to see the stopped traffic ahead, according to police, and in an attempt to avoid a collision, swerved left into the westbound lane.
The Ram also swerved towards the shoulder, to avoid the Honda, but the front of both vehicles struck in a near-head-on collision. After impact the Honda overturned and struck a utility pole before coming to rest off the roadway. The Ram came to rest in the same area as the impact.
There were five occupants inside of the Honda: An 18-year-old male of Bear, DE was flown to Christiana Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries; A 17-year-old female of Bear, DE was transported to Beebe Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries; An 18-year-old female of Wilmington, DE was flown to Christiana Hospital in critical condition; A 16-year-old female of Middletown, DE was flown to Christiana Hospital in critical condition; A 17-year-old male of Middletown, DE was transported to Beebe Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased. Identification of the victim is pending notification to the next of kin.
The driver of the Honda has not been confirmed. This remains an active and on-going investigation.
The 77-year-old male operator of the Ram was treated and released at an area hospital for minor injuries.
The roadway was closed for approximately 3 hours while the investigation was completed, and the roadway was cleared.
Top Stories: $300 rebate payment for Delaware taxpayers signed into law. 51 arrested, 4 wanted in a large-scale drug investigation. Dover man arrested following a police chase, crashes in Wyoming.
Weather: Warm, sunny, and mild conditions will continue this evening before more clouds arrive tonight. Saturday will be filled with clouds, mild temperatures, and some isolated rain chances in the evening hours. And a dry Easter Sunday is ahead!
A Selbyville woman was arrested on several warrants following a traffic stop in Greenwood.
According to the Delaware State Police Department, the incident occurred around 3:56 p.m., Thursday as an officer with the Greenwood Police Department witnessed a tan Chevrolet Cruze traveling southbound on Sussex Highway in the area of Market Street.
The driver of the Cruze failed to stop at the red light and a traffic stop was initiated. The officer made contact with the driver and owner of the vehicle, 38-year-old Tara Madden. A computer check revealed she had four active criminal warrants for her arrest, stemming from numerous incidents that occurred throughout March and April in the Frankford, Millville, and Millsboro areas.
Madden was taken into custody without incident and transported to Troop 5 where she was charged with Theft of a Controlled Substance (Felony), Theft Greater Than $1,500 (Felony), Theft From a Senior (Felony) – 2 counts, Criminal Mischief, and Offensive Touching. She was arraigned and released on $4,500 unsecured bond.
Dozens were arrested and Delaware State Police are searching for others wanted in connection with a large-scale drug investigation on Delmarva.
In November 2020, Delaware State Police began a large-scale drug investigation named “Operation Dawg House.”
Operation Dawg House targeted the George Johnson Drug Trafficking Organization, where George Johnson, 40, of Bridgeville, was identified as the organization head. Johnson’s organization was targeted due to the increase of heroin overdoses and Clenbuterol profile possession of heroin cases occurring in Sussex County and Worcester County, Maryland.
In Delaware, 16 overdose cases were reported, four being fatal. Additionally, two overdose deaths occurred in Worcester and Wicomico County, Maryland.
The year-long investigation involved local and state agencies in Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania working together to combat the heroin and opioid drug distribution.
During the investigation, numerous members of Johnson’s organization were identified, and a hierarchy of distribution was established. In total, 55 individuals were indicted or arrested on street warrants.
Currently, 51 individuals have been arrested and four individuals are still wanted, including George Johnson.
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of these wanted individuals is asked to contact Delaware State Police Troop 4 by calling 302-856-5850 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333.
Governor John Carney on Thursday signed House Bill 360 that will send $300 in direct payments to Delaware taxpayers and adults. The bipartisan tax rebate legislation, which will provide a total of $600 for married couples, is intended to help counter the impact of inflation on Delaware families.
Checks will be issued by the end of May to Delawareans who already filed their 2020 personal income tax returns.
“Delaware families are dealing with higher costs at the grocery store and the gas pump,” said Governor Carney. “Every taxpayer I’ve ever talked to expects us to manage their money in a way that’s responsible and sustainable over the long term. These direct payments to Delaware families are part of a broader, responsible budget proposal that will invest in education, our economy, and Delaware communities, and increase our reserves to prepare our state for the future.”
“The Delaware General Assembly and Governor John Carney have stepped up throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to help our communities weather the economic impact of the worst public health crisis in generations,” said Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend. “We voted to raise the minimum wage, exempted Delawareans and local businesses from state unemployment taxes, increased access to primary care and, today, passed legislation to create a paid family and medical leave insurance program in the First State. Now, we are putting money back in the hands of taxpayers at a time when they are facing higher costs for groceries, fuel and other household bills. I am particularly grateful to my colleagues for working to ensure we are extending the same relief to retirees and people who may have been unemployed in 2020 and most likely need this assistance the most.”
“While our economic recovery has been strong in many ways, it has also slammed residents with new challenges of increasing costs in almost every facet of their life. Residents have seen increased costs at grocery stores and at the gas pump, but fortunately, we as a state are in a position to provide some assistance,” said House Majority Leader Valerie Longhurst. “Our record surplus has allowed us to provide direct relief to every taxpayer and adult resident in the state. These rebates are one way we can help offset residents’ recent hardships and ease the burden many are facing. I’m looking forward to seeing the first checks go out to residents in the coming weeks.”
“With prices of gasoline, food, and other necessities continuing to rise, the General Assembly needed to act quickly. I’m proud of the work each of the caucuses in the legislature accomplished to provide much needed relief to Delawareans,” said Senate Minority Leader Gerald Hocker.
“This rebate will return approximately $230 million to Delaware citizens,” said State House Minority Leader Danny Short. “My members believe this initiative should be the first significant step in a process to better balance the cost of providing state services and easing the tax burden on all Delawareans.”
Top Stories: DelDOT continues to ignore our inquiries as hundreds receive false toll violations. Webinar held to discuss broadband expansion in Kent & Sussex counties. DPH asks parents to test children for COVID before returning to school.
Weather: As we head into the afternoon and evening hours. we are watching for the chance of some isolated thunderstorms with a cool down on the way this weekend.
Georgetown State Senator Brian Pettyjohn, along with members of the Delaware Department of Technology and Information, held a webinar update on broadband internet access in Sussex and Kent Counties.
According to Jason Clarke with DTI, more than 11,000 homes and businesses lack high speed internet. So on March 17, Comcast, Mediacom and Verizon were awarded a combined $56 million to build infrastructure Methenolone Enanthate for sale to reach every home and business within those rural and underserved areas.
Funding comes from the $110 million ARPA act and CARES relief funding. The build-out timeline is 24 to 48 months out and will also provide broadband services to over 25,000 low-income families, with the goal to create digital equity for all students and schools.
Now Mediacom has come under fire recently, and during the webinar, for its outages in parts of Sussex County recently. Clarke says the company, which is getting $11 million in funding, plans to address the issue.
Top Stories: Delaware State Police investigate shots fired at a Lincoln home. Delaware saw an increase in suicide while the national average decreased. DMV on the GO launches with selected locations statewide.
Weather: Extremely mild temperatures will remain until Thursday as we have the chance of some scattered thunderstorms by the afternoon hours.
Delaware State Police are investigating after a home was shot up in Lincoln.
According to the Delaware State Police Department, on Tuesday troopers responded to a residence in the 10000 block of Dupont Boulevard for a report of shots fired. The investigation revealed that on April 11th, around 10 p.m., a 38-year-old female was inside of the home when she heard gunshots outside.
After further investigation the following morning, police say the resident discovered multiple bullet holes in the exterior of the home and in a vehicle parked outside. In addition, there was an 18-year-old male and two juveniles inside the home at the time of the shooting. No one was injured.
At this time there is no suspect information or surveillance images available.
The Delaware State Police Troop 4 Criminal Investigation Unit is currently investigating this incident. Anyone who witnessed this incident or has any information regarding this case is asked to contact Detective D. Yencer by calling 302-752-3791 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333.
Top Stories: Laurel Police investigating a bowling alley bar shooting. Gas prices dip a little bit in Delaware. Update on the subway attack in NYC.
Weather: Mild conditions this afternoon will give way to some increasing clouds by Wednesday morning. Exceptionally warm temperatures are expected for Wednesday well into the 80s.
Delaware State Police have arrested 27-year-old Arthur Darden of Dover, DE for weapons and drug offenses following a traffic stop on Monday afternoon.
On April 11th, 2022, at approximately 12:41 p.m., a trooper on patrol in Laurel, DE observed a black Kia Sportage speeding and changing lanes without signaling on Sussex Highway south of Gordy Road. A traffic stop was initiated on Sussex Highway at Dorothy Road and contact was made with the operator, identified as Arthur Darden. Troopers observed signs of impairment on Darden and opened alcohol containers inside the vehicle. A subsequent DUI investigation ensued and Darden was taken into custody without incident. A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of approximately 13.79 grams of marijuana, a pair of brass knuckles, and a 9-millimeter handgun. A computer inquiry revealed Darden is a convicted felon prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Darden was transported to Troop 5 and charged with the following offenses:
Darden was arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court # 2 and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $11,300 cash bond.
Delaware State Police arrested 50-year-old Richard Cook of Lincoln, DE for 8th-offense DUI and other charges following a crash investigation on Monday afternoon.
On April 11th, 2022, at approximately 2:57 p.m., troopers responded to the intersection of southbound Dupont Boulevard and Redden Road, Georgetown, DE regarding a motor vehicle collision. Upon their arrival, troopers contacted Richard Cook, the operator of a black Nissan Quest. The Quest had overturned onto its side in the wooded area west of Dupont Boulevard, and the two passengers, a 49-year-old female victim, and a 45-year-old male victim had sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The victims were transported to Bayhealth Sussex Hospital for medical treatment. Troopers observed signs of impairment on Cook and a DUI investigation ensued. Cook was subsequently taken into custody without incident at the scene. A search of Cook’s vehicle led to the discovery of approximately 2.04 grams of marijuana, suspected liquid heroin, drug paraphernalia, two fixed-blade knives, and a Hopkins & Allen Arms Co. revolver. Cook is a convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms and/or deadly weapons.
A computer inquiry revealed that Cook’s driver’s license was suspended and he had been convicted for seven prior DUI offenses. Cook was transported to Troop 5 and charged with the following offenses:
Cook was arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court # 3 and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $39,501 cash bond.
What seemed like a never-ending spike in gas prices to start spring seems to be trending downwards now.
According to AAA Mid-Atlantic, today’s average across Delaware is at $3.95 a gallon, down 12-cents from a week ago. Some of the area is seeing prices well below that in Sussex County.
Triple-A says the reason for the decrease is due to the price of oil remaining below $100 per barrel and the International Energy Agency’s decision to release 120 million barrels from its emergency stockpiles. This also includes 60 million barrels from the United States. It’s the second coordinated release of reserves in just over a month due to the Ukrainian-Russian conflict.
Top Stories: Delawareans continue to speak out on DelDOT toll scandal. $300 rebate bill passes House, now heads to the Senate in Delaware.
Weather: Sunny skies will lead to mostly cloudy skies tonight. More rain showers are possible tomorrow morning before temperatures soar into the 70’s this week.
A dispute between two neighbors led to the arrest of both after they opened fire on each other outside their homes in Millsboro.
According to Delaware State Police, the incident occurred around 6:42 p.m., Saturday when troopers responded to reports of a shooting in the 28000 block of Mount Joy Road.
The investigation determined 36-year-old Curtis Collick, and 47-year-old Clayton Sample, both of Millsboro, who are neighbors, were involved in a verbal dispute outside their homes on Mount Joy Road.
The argument escalated and both men fired multiple gunshots at each other, according to police. Curtis was struck one time in the lower torso area and fled in a vehicle prior to the arrival of police.
Troopers responding to the scene spotted Curtis’ vehicle and a traffic stop was conducted.
EMS responded and transported him to an area hospital where he was treated for a non-life-threatening injury and released. Clayton was uninjured and taken into custody without incident at the scene and transported to Delaware State Police Troop 4.
Curtis was charged with Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony (Felony), Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited (Felony), and Reckless Endangering First Degree (Felony). He was arraigned and committed to the Sussex Correctional Institution on $152,000.00 cash bond.
Clayton was charged with Assault First Degree (Felony), Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited (Felony), and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony (Felony). He was arraigned and committed to the Sussex Correctional Institution on $130,000.00 cash bond.
Two men have been arrested for the shooting death of a 49-year-old Laurel man on Thursday.
Delaware State Police say they responded to the 18000 block of Laurel Road just after midnight on reports of a shooting. When officers arrived, they found the victim with a gunshot wound to his torso. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
An investigation determined that the victim had gotten into an altercation with 18-year-old Josiah Garrison of Denton, MD and 21-year-old Ramon Duker of Millsboro. Police say after the victim was shot in the altercation, the men allegedly held an acquaintance of the victim at gunpoint to drive away from the scene.
Police apprehended the suspects after they went to Beebe Medical Center in Lewes to treat an injury.
Duker and Garrison face several charges, including:
Murder First Degree (Felony)
Robbery First Degree (Felony)
Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony (Felony)
Kidnapping Second Degree (Felony)
Conspiracy First Degree (Felony)
Both suspects have been arraigned and lodged at SCI on $1,146,000 cash bond. Delaware State Police are asking any potential witnesses to contact them at 302-741-2821 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at 800-TIP-3333.
Top Stories: DelDOT remains silent as more and more Delawareans come forward over toll issues. Lt. Governor’s Challenge in search of nominees.
Weather: Sunshine this afternoon may give way to a few more isolated showers and maybe even a stray storm. Some of which may methandienone dose contain some small hail.
The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) remains silent, refusing to acknowledge the issue with their toll system as hundreds of Delawareans come forward who received false violations.
TV Delmarva News has been inundated with interview requests from dozens of residents across the state who received toll violations after traveling through the Biddle’s Corner Toll Plaza in New Castle County when they had a working E-ZPass with active funds in their account.
Following the publishing of our report on Thursday, our social media pages were flooded with hundreds of comments from Delawareans who received false toll violations, including Megan Brown, of Newark, who has been dealing with this issue for at least the past year. She’s now speaking out, demanding DelDOT do something to resolve the issue once and for all.
“It’s been going on at least a year now,” Brown said. “I was randomly getting these violations in the mail and I know that I had my E-ZPass, I know it was funded, I know it was in my car, and the one thing that stuck out to me is that I would go one-way down to the beach and then come back, and they would only send me a violation for one direction.”
Most recently, Brown said she received eight more of the false violations, totaling close to a thousand dollars. She was told by DelDOT that she must appeal all of them while having issues online dealing with the process.
“It was time consuming to fill out the form and then waste the stamp to put it in the mail, everything, but most recently I just got eight of them at one time in the mail from last summer too, so number one, I don’t even remember the times going, and when you add them up they’re asking for almost eight hundred to a thousand dollars.”
While initially the issue appeared to span over the course of at least the past six months, we are now receiving additional reports of false violations dating back over the course of the past two years for some residents.
TV Delmarva News Director & Reporter Rob Petree raised these concerns directly to DelDOT’s Community Relations Director, Charles McLeod, who refused to acknowledge the issue and repeatedly requested that everyone who raises theses concerns contact customer service. Our interview request was then denied.
“We encourage them to contact customer service,” McLeod stated in an email response. “We will be glad to investigate the issue with the individuals but won’t be providing any interviews at this time.”
Everyone we have interviewed and spoke to who has been impacted by this issue has already reached out to DelDOT customer service to no avail, some of whom have already had their false toll violations sent to collections, including Adam Pritchett, of Camden, who said DelDOT did nothing to resolve the issue, all the while knowing that it wasn’t his fault but rather an error on their end, and still nothing was done.
“It’s been a long stream of this,” Pritchett said. “They told me it was my transponder, so I invested in four new transponders for my vehicles, and then I’d go through there and it would say ‘good to go’ every time, and then I would get notices in the mail that I had ran through the violation and it would show a picture of my tag. And I’m like ‘why are they sending me notices’ I’m an E-ZPass account holder, it should be real simple. It’s happen multiple times and I’ve even been taken to collections because I can’t even resolve the issue when I call customer service.”
Kent County resident Matt Burge works in New Castle County and has to take the toll through Biddle’s Corner Toll Plaza daily. He says, like so many others, he’s received multiple violations when he had a working E-ZPass with active funds in his vehicle.
“That shouldn’t be an issue because my transponder is linked to a tag, and we get the money withdrawn into the E-ZPass monthly, it constantly refills,” Burge stated. “My thing is, the notice I just got was from 2/21/22 and I just got it two, three weeks ago. Why did it take a week and a half to get to me, and then it was supposed to be in by April 4th.”
Burge was very frustrated and said something needs to be done, calling out officials at DelDOT, saying they need to acknowledge the issue publicly and take steps to resolve it.
“Just do your job,” Burge stressed. “It’s not that hard, get the facts straight. From what I’ve been told they have people that cross-reference the tags with transponders, so if that’s the case then somebody’s not doing their job because I never should have got a fine.”
Some residents, including Sherry Steller, of Smyrna, have received dozens of false violations and are now speaking out, demanding DelDOT take action to resolve the issue.
“As of today, I have 17 more coming today,” Sherry said. “Once I add the 17 in today, I’ll be at 78 toll violations. I went down to E-ZPass in Dover, spent an hour in there and showed her all my transponders, she checked the batteries and everything is great, and then she tells me to write an appeal for every single violation that I got. My time is valuable to me, I don’t have time to sit around and do appeals when the fault is not my fault.”
Chris Phipps, of Smyrna, said he went above and beyond to get the issue resolved with DelDOT after he received a toll violation when he knew for a fact he had funds in his E-ZPass and that it wasn’t his fault. He has not heard back after he appealed the decision and is speaking out to call for a resolution to this issue that has affected countless Delawareans.
“I’m very frustrated, very angry, and I would hope if anything just a little transparency, a simple letter in the mail to say they received it, an email, or anything,” Phipps said. “Their online portal, in my opinion, is a joke. I don’t know how it takes two weeks to get a letter back. I don’t understand how it’s like this, it’s very old, but I’m just trying to get by as much as I can I guess.”
The extent of the issue, exactly how many people have been affected and what’s causing this to happen, all of which DelDOT has refused to acknowledge, is not yet known at this time. What is clear however is that the issue is affecting residents from all corners of the state, including Jeff and Barbara Baskin, of Lewes, who also received a toll violation from the Biddle’s toll plaza when they shouldn’t have.
“We discovered it when we got the letter in the mail saying we went through a toll booth and that we did not have a transponder, which is not true, we had one,” Jeff Baskin explained. “It’s more like it didn’t read it or something in my mind, but then I’m looking at it again, and on there, just eyeing the tolls because I’ve been running up to Pennsylvania regularly now, my Mom is ill and it’s a lot, and I looked down and for some reason it has us as a different class of vehicle at the same toll booth. Again, I’m going up to Pennsylvania and back, so I go through four toll booths, and the other three show me as a Class 2 and all of a sudden this one’s Class 4 and it’s like ‘what’s going on?’”
Kelsey Gallagher, of Smyrna, said she recently got a large stack of false toll violations, all with random dates, showing her tag. For each one of them, she says she had a working, funded, E-ZPass transponder in her vehicle and should not have received the violations.
“I tried to go online and enter them to put my transponder in, and it won’t even let me do that, it says ‘call the main office’,” Kelsey said. “I’m really frustrated with this. It’s just maddening, I’m a full-time working Mom, I’m just busy all the time, and I shouldn’t have to take so much time out of my day to try and call them and wait on hold forever, and then just try and get ahold of somebody, when I’ve had it in my window this whole time, why is it not being used the way it’s supposed to be used?”
Countless people from across the state have flooded our social media with reports of the same thing happening to them, receiving a toll violation when they didn’t violate the toll, and then having to run around in circles with DelDOT to resolve the issue that wasn’t their fault to begin with:
“About a month ago I got 13 toll violations,” one user wrote. “This week 5 more smh dated as far back as October 2021 to January 2022.”
“They sent me the violation letter and I checked my E-Z Pass account to find that I had already paid the toll with my E-Z Pass,” another user wrote on our Facebook page. “They were trying to charge me $51.00 for a $1.00 toll that had been paid. Glad I checked and called them today!”
“It’s another scam the state has to gain revenue if you don’t pay it any attention,” one user speculated.
“We have a stack of them from as far back as August 2021,” another user wrote. “We get them in groups of 3-8 every few days. All appeals have been denied, although we have active EZ Pass.”
“My husband and I had some violations as high as $4,000,” another user wrote online. “We have transponders in both of our vehicles.”
Sure do have a whole stack,” yet another user wrote. “I have an active E-ZPass account and a transponder in each vehicle. Was told perhaps it was my tinted windshield so I traded the car in…still happening with my new vehicle with no tint on windshield.”
For a $1 toll on Route 1, the cost of violating it is upwards of $50 in fines. Many people who’ve been billed have been unable to resolve the issue with DelDOT, who at this time is refusing to acknowledge the it and continues to direct everyone to contact customer service. An interview request with DelDOT Secretary Nicole Majeski was denied.
TV Delmarva News is continuing to investigate this developing story. We will continue to bring you stories of Delawareans impacted by this issue until DelDOT addresses it and resolves the problem.
BREAKING NEWS: DelDOT is under fire for false toll violations in the state of Delaware. Jimmie Allen is to release a new album about Delaware. Senator Carper weighs in on the Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Weather: Strong to severe thunderstorms are possible this evening as a cold front arrives. Storms may contain some strong damaging winds and an isolated tornado.
The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) is under fire after countless people were sent false toll violations when they didn’t run the toll. DelDOT is refusing to acknowledge the issue as more people continue to speak out, demanding something be done to fix the issue.
TV Delmarva News has been inundated with interview requests from dozens of residents across the state who received toll violations after traveling through the Biddle’s Corner Toll Plaza in New Castle County when they had a working E-ZPass with active funds in their account.
The issue appears to span over the course of at least the past six months as reports of the false violations, for some residents, date all the way back to October, 2021. Some residents, including Sherry Steller, of Smyrna, have received dozens of false violations and are now speaking out, demanding DelDOT take action to resolve the issue.
“As of today, I have 17 more coming today,” Sherry said. “Once I add the 17 in today, I’ll be at 78 toll violations. I went down to E-ZPass in Dover, spent an hour in there and showed her all my transponders, she checked the batteries and everything is great, and then she tells me to write an appeal for every single violation that I got. My time is valuable to me, I don’t have time to sit around and do appeals when the fault is not my fault.”
TV Delmarva News Director & Reporter Rob Petree raised these concerns directly to DelDOT’s Community Relations Director, Charles McLeod, who refused to acknowledge the issue and repeatedly requested that everyone who raises theses concerns contact customer service. Our interview request was then denied.
Is Bodybuilding a Dysfunctional Vanity Sport? clomid vs nolvadex for pct lines drawn | bodybuilding steroids banned, buy testosterone cypionate online with credit card“We encourage them to contact customer service,” McLeod stated in an email response. “We will be glad to investigate the issue with the individuals but won’t be providing any interviews at this time.”
Everyone we have interviewed and spoke to who has been impacted by this issue has already reached out to DelDOT customer service to no avail, some of whom have already had their false toll violations sent to collections, including Adam Pritchett, of Camden, who said DelDOT did nothing to resolve the issue, all the while knowing that it wasn’t his fault but rather an error on their end, and still nothing was done.
“It’s been a long stream of this,” Pritchett said. “They told me it was my transponder, so I invested in four new transponders for my vehicles, and then I’d go through there and it would say ‘good to go’ every time, and then I would get notices in the mail that I had ran through the violation and it would show a picture of my tag. And I’m like ‘why are they sending me notices’ I’m an E-ZPass account holder, it should be real simple. It’s happen multiple times and I’ve even been taken to collections because I can’t even resolve the issue when I call customer service.”
Chris Phipps, of Smyrna, said he went above and beyond to get the issue resolved with DelDOT after he received a toll violation when he knew for a fact he had funds in his E-ZPass and that it wasn’t his fault. He has not heard back after he appealed the decision and is speaking out to call for a resolution to this issue that has affected countless Delawareans.
“I’m very frustrated, very angry, and I would hope if anything just a little transparency, a simple letter in the mail to say they received it, an email, or anything,” Phipps said. “Their online portal, in my opinion, is a joke. I don’t know how it takes two weeks to get a letter back. I don’t understand how it’s like this, it’s very old, but I’m just trying to get by as much as I can I guess.”
The extent of the issue, exactly how many people have been affected and what’s causing this to happen, all of which DelDOT has refused to acknowledge, is not yet known at this time. What is clear however is that the issue is affecting residents from all corners of the state, including Jeff and Barbara Baskin, of Lewes, who also received a toll violation from the Biddle’s toll plaza when they shouldn’t have.
“We discovered it when we got the letter in the mail saying we went through a toll booth and that we did not have a transponder, which is not true, we had one,” Jeff Baskin explained. “It’s more like it didn’t read it or something in my mind, but then I’m looking at it again, and on there, just eyeing the tolls because I’ve been running up to Pennsylvania regularly now, my Mom is ill and it’s a lot, and I looked down and for some reason it has us as a different class of vehicle at the same toll booth. Again, I’m going up to Pennsylvania and back, so I go through four toll booths, and the other three show me as a Class 2 and all of a sudden this one’s Class 4 and it’s like ‘what’s going on?’”
Kelsey Gallagher, of Smyrna, said she recently got a large stack of false toll violations, all with random dates, showing her tag. For each one of them, she says she had a working, funded, E-ZPass transponder in her vehicle and should not have received the violations.
“I tried to go online and enter them to put my transponder in, and it won’t even let me do that, it says ‘call the main office’,” Kelsey said. “I’m really frustrated with this. It’s just maddening, I’m a full-time working Mom, I’m just busy all the time, and I shouldn’t have to take so much time out of my day to try and call them and wait on hold forever, and then just try and get ahold of somebody, when I’ve had it in my window this whole time, why is it not being used the way it’s supposed to be used?”
Countless people from across the state have flooded our social media with reports of the same thing happening to them, receiving a toll violation when they didn’t violate the toll, and then having to run around in circles with DelDOT to resolve the issue that wasn’t their fault to begin with:
“About a month ago I got 13 toll violations,” one user wrote. “This week 5 more smh dated as far back as October 2021 to January 2022.”
“They sent me the violation letter and I checked my E-Z Pass account to find that I had already paid the toll with my E-Z Pass,” another user wrote on our Facebook page. “They were trying to charge me $51.00 for a $1.00 toll that had been paid. Glad I checked and called them today!”
“It’s another scam the state has to gain revenue if you don’t pay it any attention,” one user speculated.
“We have a stack of them from as far back as August 2021,” another user wrote. “We get them in groups of 3-8 every few days. All appeals have been denied, although we have active EZ Pass.”
“My husband and I had some violations as high as $4,000,” another user wrote online. “We have transponders in both of our vehicles.”
Sure do have a whole stack,” yet another user wrote. “I have an active E-ZPass account and a transponder in each vehicle. Was told perhaps it was my tinted windshield so I traded the car in…still happening with my new vehicle with no tint on windshield.”
For a $1 toll on Route 1, the cost of violating it is upwards of $50 in fines. Many people who’ve been billed have been unable to resolve the issue with DelDOT, who at this time is refusing to acknowledge the it and continues to direct everyone to contact customer service. An interview request with DelDOT Secretary Nicole Majeski was denied.
TV Delmarva News is continuing to investigate this developing story. We will continue to bring you stories of Delawareans impacted by this issue until DelDOT addresses it and resolves the problem.
EXCLUSIVE: Delawareans speak out after they were sent false toll violations.
Top Stories: Cracker Jack launches new brand “Cracker Jill.” Dover Man wanted in Laurel for felony theft & forgery.
Weather: Misty/Foggy conditions will continue into the overnight hours. More rain is on the way for Thursday with the chance of some thunderstorms as well.
A Dover man is wanted on felony theft and forgery charges in Laurel.
According to the Laurel Police Department, officers are currently conducting a felony investigation that occurred on April 4, 2022 at the Bank of Delmarva located at 200 E Market Street.
At this time, police say the primary suspect in the investigation has been identified as 34-year-old Anthony J. Oscar, of Dover, Delaware.
Oscar is currently wanted out of the Laurel Police Department for Theft Over $1500, Forgery 2nd Degree, and Conspiracy 2nd Degree. Additionally, he is wanted for similar charges by the Seaford Police Department and by the Kent County Court of Common Pleas for a Failure to Appear capias.
Oscar was last seen occupying a newer model Honda sedan with an unknown driver.
Anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact PFC Lieber of the Laurel Police Department at [email protected] or by phone at 302-875-2244 reference case 70-22-1021 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at0 1-800-847-3333.
After more than 125 years as one of sport’s most iconic snacks, Cracker Jack® is adding a new face to its roster, with the introduction of Cracker Jill™ to celebrate the women who break down barriers in sports.
Tapping into the brand’s rich history with America’s favorite pastime, Cracker JillTM comes to life through five different representations on a series of special-edition bags, which will be available at the start of this year’s baseball season in professional ballparks across the country and through a donation of $5 or more to the Women’s Sports Foundation.
“We are constantly inspired by the many women who are making history by breaking the mold, and we want to celebrate their achievements while supporting the progress,” said Tina Mahal, vice president, marketing at Frito-Lay North America. “Cracker Jack has been part of sports for over a century, as records were made and rules changed. We’ve been so inspired by how girls and women are changing the face of the game, so in this spirit we introduce Cracker Jill to show girls that they’re represented even in our most iconic snacks.”
To extend its impact, Cracker Jack® is donating $200,000 to the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF), a national non-profit that conducts research and advocacy and supports community programming, to help girls and women across the country reach their potential in sport and life.
To further support the Foundation’s work in gender equity, Cracker Jack® is encouraging fans to donate to WSF via this link. As a thank you, Cracker Jack® will send a Cracker Jill™ bag to fans who donate $5 or more, while supplies last.
“Our Foundation is an ally, advocate and catalyst to help unlock the possibilities in every girl and woman through the power of sport,” said Danette Leighton, WSF CEO. “Representation matters – it encourages and inspires the next generation. It’s wonderful to see Cracker Jill come to life, emphasizing the power that representation can have by celebrating women who’ve broken barriers.”
One of the most well-known ways Cracker Jack® is woven into sports culture is through the seventh inning stretch, where the lyrics of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” include “buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack.” Tapping into this cultural cornerstone, the Cracker Jack® brand partnered with award-winning artist Normani to reimagine this iconic song, updating the lyrics to include Cracker JillTM and celebrate the tenacity and grit of women and girls in sports.
“As a young girl, I remember being inspired by athletes and artists who looked like me,” said Normani. “They made me believe that I could also achieve greatness as I watched them break barriers for women. I’m proud to be part of a campaign entrenched in inclusivity and empowerment because it’s vital for young girls to see themselves represented and join in on the celebration of the achievements made by the women before them.”
The barrier-breaking spirit of Cracker Jill™ was brought to life by artist and model Monica Ahanonu, an expert in color theory and a trailblazer for Black artists. Her colorful portrait illustrations resonated with the campaign goal of highlighting and celebrating women in sports through strong, determined and vibrant Jills. These unique depictions of Jill also celebrate the remarkable diversity throughout the country, as the five Jills were inspired by the most represented ethnicities in the U.S., per data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Truly embodying the campaign’s mission, the team behind this initiative is led by women and underrepresented creatives. In addition to Ahanonu, the Cracker JillTM campaign is fueled by powerful female and non-binary voices, including the “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” creative director, Ro Haber, the entire film crew, and the Cracker Jack® team.
This collection of Cracker JillTM packaging was created to coincide with the opening of the 2022 baseball season, but the intention is for Jill to continue to join Sailor Jack as a member of the team roster and part of the brand ethos.
To learn more about Cracker Jill and to donate to the Women’s Sports Foundation, fans can visit CrackerJill.com.
Delaware State Police arrested 20-year-old Amir Harris of Millsboro, DE on drug and weapons charges following a traffic stop on Tuesday morning.
On April 5th, 2022 at approximately 12:15 a.m., a trooper on patrol in the Millsboro area observed a gray Pontiac sedan traveling southbound on Dupont Boulevard south of Delaware Avenue. The trooper observed the Pontiac fail to remain within its lane of travel and also commit a turn signal violation. A traffic stop was then initiated on Parker Circle, Millsboro. Upon contacting the operator and sole occupant, identified as Amir Harris, the trooper detected the strong odor of marijuana emitting from inside of the vehicle. Harris was asked to exit the vehicle, and as Harris complied, he fled the scene on foot. Troopers gave chase and took Harris into custody a short distance away. Upon detaining Harris, troopers discovered he was in possession of approximately .035 grams of suspected heroin and a loaded U.S. Revolver Company handgun with five .32 caliber rounds. Harris has a prior felony conviction and is a person prohibited from possessing firearms and/or ammunition.
Harris was transported to Troop 4 and charged with the following crimes:
Harris was arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court # 3 and was committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $36,750 secured bond.
Top Stories: Two bills were introduced to legalize marijuana in Delaware. Dover Police arrested a man with eight warrants on his record. And a tinted windows violation leads to drug and weapons charges arrest.
Weather: Rain, rain, and more rain is on the way tonight. Some of which will be quite heavy at times. And a major warm-up is expected going into next week.
As we head into the middle portions of April, we could be looking at some very warm temperatures across the Eastern third of the Nation. A large trough will begin digging into the Western US starting this coming weekend. This will help lift the Jetstream into Canada as a Sub-Tropical Ridge develops off the Southeast US coastlines pumping warm air all the way into New England.
Temperatures could be running 10-20 degrees above normal during the mid and late portions of next week with this warm southerly flow. High temperatures are expected to be well into the 70’s with some low 80’s not out of the question. The average temperature for this time of year here on Delmarva is around 60 degrees during the daytime hours. I’m sure many will not be complaining about the welcomed warmth ahead.
Top Stories: Early morning fire destroys home in Milford. Millsboro man charged with his 10th DUI. Millsboro man arrested on drug, weapon charges in Georgetown. Navy service member identified in the Chincoteague plane crash last week.
Weather: Increasing clouds will be on the way tonight before the rain will be developing for Tuesday. Some of which could be heavy at times.
An early morning fire has destroyed a home in Milford.
According to the Carlisle Fire Company, around 4:18 a.m., Monday crews responded to a fully involved house fire on the 700 block of Cicada Lane in Milford.
When crews arrived, fire personnel said it was clear that the structure was fully involved and efforts were launched to bring the blaze under control.
Firefighters and several apparatuses from Frederica (Station 49), Houston (Station 52), and South Bowers (Station 57) worked with Carlisle crews to bring the fire under control.
After more than three hours of hard work, the scene was declared under control.
There is no word on what caused the blaze which remains under investigation.
Delaware State Police arrested 25-year-old Andrew Long of Millsboro, DE on drug and weapon charges following a traffic stop Saturday night.
On April 2, 2022, at approximately 7:06 p.m., a trooper on patrol in the area of Park Avenue, Georgetown observed a Blue Ford Explorer operated by Andrew Long who had active warrants for his arrest and did not possess a valid license. A traffic stop was initiated, and upon Long pulling his vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway, he immediately exited and began to flee on foot while carrying a handgun. The trooper chased the suspect and gave verbal commands. Long eventually gave up, dropped the gun, and was subsequently taken into custody without further incident. The loaded 9mm handgun was recovered and a search of the vehicle led to the discovery of approximately 1.3 grams of marijuana. A computer inquiry revealed Long is a person prohibited from possessing a weapon.
Long was transported to Troop 4 where he was charged with the following crimes:
Long was arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court # 3 and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $101,502 cash bond.
Top Stories: Lincoln pastor was indicted for unlawful sexual contact. Magnolia man arrested on drug, weapons charges in Dover. Fox tests positive for rabies in Frankford.
Weather: Rain showers will begin to die out once we get to sundown with clearing skies. More rain is in the forecast for this weekend and even more rain chances going into next week.
The Delaware Department of Justice is seeking the public’s assistance in the prosecution of a Sussex County pastor indicted for Unlawful Sexual Contact and is requesting that any additional victims contact law enforcement.
Major Foster, a Lincoln man who at the time was employed as pastor of Ellendale’s Philadelphia Pentecostal Holiness Church, faces pending charges after inappropriately touching multiple women.
“I am grateful to the women who have come forward to the Delaware State Police and our prosecutors,” said Attorney General Jennings. “We have reason to believe that Foster’s alleged years long pattern of abuse includes as yet unreported, additional instances. We ask that any additional victims or witnesses with information come forward. We will be there to support you.”
Foster was indicted in November by a Sussex County grand jury on three counts of Unlawful Sexual Contact 3rd Degree, following an investigation into multiple reports that, from 2013 to 2020, he attempted to use scripture to coerce female parishioners into sexual relationships, made inappropriate comments, and instigated prolonged hugs during which he made inappropriate sexual contact with his victims.
Foster was also charged with Offensive Touching for pushing a victim’s husband when confronted.
The State was aware of three victims at the time of Foster’s original indictment; prosecutors now have reason to believe that additional victims may be unidentified. The State implores anyone whom Foster has harmed or who has additional information about the case to contact Delaware State Police. Anyone with additional information should contact Det. L. Coleman, Delaware State Police – Troop 4, at (302) 752-3813.
The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) is advising Sussex County residents, who live or spend time near the areas of Burbage and Jones roads, and Burbage Road and Route 374 in Frankford, of a positive case of rabies in a fox.
The fox did not have any known contact with humans, however, there were reports of the fox attacking stray cats. If the attacked cats develop rabies, they will become a public health threat, especially to anyone who feeds them. The fox was tested for rabies and the results came back positive on Thursday, March 31, 2022.
Since Jan. 1, 2022, the Division of Public Health has performed rabies tests on 53 animals, three of which were confirmed to be rabid, which includes one raccoon and two foxes, including this positive animal. DPH only announces those rabies cases for which it is possible the animal had unknown contacts with additional humans or pets.
In 2021, DPH performed rabies tests on 193 animals, 19 of which were confirmed to be rabid, which includes one dog, one deer, one fox, one cow, two skunks, three cats, four raccoons, and six bats. These numbers differ from previous reports after a 2021 rabies data review.
Anyone who thinks they might have been bitten, scratched by, or encountered a fox or feral cat in this area should immediately contact their health care provider or call the DPH Rabies Program at 302-744-4995. An epidemiologist is available 24/7.
Anyone in the area who thinks a fox may have bitten their pet should call their private veterinarian to have their pet examined and treated, and the exposure reported to the Delaware Department of Agriculture.
Top Stories: Delaware bill introduced to protect parental rights in schools. Dover Police arrest West Virginian women on murder charges. And a Navy aircraft crashed near Wallops Island killing a crew member.
Weather: Strong to severe storms are in the forecast tonight with a Severe Thunderstorm Watch and a Tornado Watch until this evening.
Republican lawmakers have introduced a new bill – “The Delaware Education Right to Know Act” – which would protect parental rights in schools and bring more transparency to the state’s education system.
The legislation, House Bill 326 introduced earlier this month, gives parents, guardians, and other educational stakeholders more information and opportunities to evaluate public and charter school education in Delaware and to express concerns to school officials.
The bill comes on the heels of several issues that were raised to our news department from parents in school districts across both Kent and Sussex Counties. The bill’s primary sponsor, State Rep. Charles Postles says the bill is about providing parents with a greater insight into their child’s education.
“This bill has been a while in the making, mostly from parents that have expressed some concerns about what’s going on in schools,” Rep. Postles said. “Discussions actually started before COVID, but when we went into the virtual, remote learning, parents got an insight into the classroom and what is happening more than they had before. And it kind of opened their eyes as to what some of the situations were and peeked their interest and said we need to know more.”
The result of the conversations with concerned parents is the result of this bill, according to Rep. Postles who emphasized that, while the bill protects parental rights and would provide parents with a greater insight into their child’s education, it does not interfere with teachers.
“Teachers are the trained professionals and I have a great deal of respect for the teachers,” Rep. Postles stressed. “We’re not trying to interfere with their professional teaching of the students.”
The legislation creates a mechanism for parents to be more engaged in schools by mandating that school officials create time for parents to have the opportunity to sit down with their child’s teachers and learn more about the curriculum and what’s being taught to their children. It also allows for parents to challenge school districts who refuse to hand over information pertaining to their child’s education, requiring school officials provide specific information to justify why the request was denied.
TV Delmarva News also got a chance to speak with one of the bill’s co-sponsors, State Rep. Lyndon Yearick who said parents have a right to know what their child is taught and this legislation would provide them with that mechanism to become more involved in their child’s education.
“Parents, guardians, grandparents, whoever is responsible for that son, daughter, or grandchild, they need to build that relationship with their immediate teacher, they need to be involved with what goes on in school, and they need to be involved with the administration,” Rep. Yearick said. “Being engaged with what goes on at the school board, being engaged at school board elections. The legislation just wants to reaffirm, stress, and mandate that parents definitely, first and foremost, need to know what’s going on.”
The bill has been assigned to the House Education Committee and is expected to be considered next week.
Delaware State Police have arrested two teens, including a 15-year-old, on drug and weapons charges in Laurel.
According to the Delaware State Police Department, the incident occurred around 1:07 p.m., as a trooper on patrol in Laurel observed a white Cadillac speeding on Laurel Road in the area of Shiloh Church Road.
A traffic stop was initiated and upon contact with the operator, 18-year-old Tyre Thomas, and the front seat passenger, a 15-year-old juvenile male, the trooper immediately detected an odor of marijuana coming from inside of the vehicle.
Troopers asked the juvenile passenger to exit the vehicle and a probable cause search of him was conducted. During this search, troopers discovered that the juvenile was in possession of approximately 40 grams of marijuana, a digital scale, and a loaded 9-millimeter Ruger handgun.
Police later learned that the handgun was reported stolen by Milford Police Department in September, 2020. During a subsequent probable cause search of the vehicle, troopers also located approximately 25 grams of marijuana and a digital scale inside a backpack.
Both the juvenile and Thomas were transported to Troop 5 and charged.
The 15-year-old has been charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited (Felony), Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon (Felony), Receiving a Stolen Firearm (Felony), Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony (Felony), Possession of Marijuana, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
The juvenile was arraigned and committed to Stevenson House on $25,502 secured bond.
Thomas was arraigned on possession of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and speeding charges and released on his own recognizance.
The Dover Police Department and United States Marshals Service First State Fugitive Task Force arrested two women wanted for Murder in West Virginia on Wednesday evening.
22-year-old Isis Wallace and 42-year-old Nichole Brooks, both of Bluefield, West Virginia, were wanted in connection to a shooting death of a 13-year-old female victim in Bluefield on March 23rd, 2022.
Officers from the Dover Police Department and USMS conducted surveillance at the hotel before executing a search warrant and taking both suspects into custody.
Both suspects surrendered without incident.
Brooks and Wallace will be held at Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution pending their extradition to West Virginia.
Top Stories: Sussex County woman speaks out after her dog was stolen in Rehoboth. La Baguette in Dover had flower plants stolen. And a great white shark was pinged off the Delaware coast.
Weather: A warm front will be moving through today setting the stage for some thunderstorm action on Thursday. Some of which could be on the severe side.
A Sussex County woman is speaking out, pleading with the public to help find her dog Bella, who was stolen right out of her vehicle at a shopping center in Rehoboth.
Rita Anderson, of Bethany Beach, says on the evening of February 20 her Shih Tzu, Bella was stolen out of her car while inside a store in the Pelican Shopping Center in Rehoboth Beach. Now, a little over a month has gone by with no trace of Bella and Rita is pleading with the public to find the man responsible in an effort to bring Bella home.
“I went in the store very quickly because I only needed to get one item, I wasn’t in ten minutes, and when I came out she wasn’t in my SUV,” Rita said. “I was hysterical and she wasn’t in there, I’m screaming and yelling, it’s about 5’o’clock on a Sunday. The door wasn’t open, so I’m trying to figure out how she got out.”
Unable to wrap her head around how Bella could have gotten out of the car, a woman who was parked just behind Rita told her the shocking truth about what happened, that a man had opened her car and stole her dog.
“The lady that was parked behind me was very upset herself and said she looked out of her rearview mirror and she saw a man take Bella out of the passenger side of the car, and she thought it was her dog,” Rita explained. “She said the only reason she looked was because her son said ‘look mommy that’s the kind of dog I want’ so she was concentrating more on the dog than she was the man.’”
With Bella gone, Rita is beside herself and says it’s like stealing someone’s child.
“It’s left me horrible, she was my baby,” Rita said. “She would’ve been two on March 6th. I’ve had her since she was eight weeks old. I just can’t imagine anybody taking somebody’s dog. It’s like taking someone’s, almost like taking someone’s child. How could someone be so inhumane to do such a thing.”
Rita said she blames herself for not locking the door, but at the time she didn’t think of anything of it because she was just in and out of the store so quickly. She says the man had to be watching her, plotting to steal Bella.
“He had to be watching me, had too,” Rita said. “Bella is the sweetest dog, she will go to anybody, and that’s probably her downfall.”
If you have any information at all on the whereabouts of Bella, think you have found Bella, or know who stole her, we urge you to email our station at [email protected] so we can put you in touch with the owner and help bring Bella home.
A report has been filed with Delaware State Police who are aware of the incident.
While we are now in the short term model guidance, we had a big shift in the timing of this event. On Tuesday many of the medium range model guidance showed this event to be extremely underwhelming and much later into the night. Now into Wednesday, we have pushed the timing up about 6-8 hours into the afternoon and evening hours on Thursday. That big shift in timing boosted our chances to match with the SPC’s Slight Risk of Severe Weather they had all week.
A good agreement between the HRRR/RAP as well as the CAMS showing ample thunderstorm development across the Mid-Atlantic States. An increase in instability as well with dew points going into the lower 60’s. Storms should be developing from west to east from 2-10pm.
With the main threat being wind damage within these storms. No surprise with the strong winds aloft and in the lower level Jetstream. Strong winds at 5000 feet of 60-70 kts giving ample speed shear for storms to produce some gusty downbursts. Using TEHI for the tornadic threat and the good news is once more, fairly low probabilities. TEHI values under 2 (20%) chance of these storms producing a tornado in this environment. Also when we take a look at the Updraft Helicity Streaks, there is very little if any which is good news for shows storms with potential rotation on the models.
Top Stories: Chuck Welch withdraws from AG race amid health concerns. FDA authorizes a second COVID booster for those aged 50 or older. President Biden pressed on Putin, Ukraine comments.
Weather: Another cooler night in-store with a warm front expected to push through tomorrow with some isolated rain chances. Thunderstorms are possible on Thursday with much warmer temperatures.
A Laurel woman was arrested and the search is on for a Seaford man after police say the two broke into a motel room and assaulted a man over the weekend.
According to the Delaware State Police Department, the incident shortly before 9 p.m., Sunday when troopers responded to the Lakeside Motel on Sussex Highway for reports of an altercation.
Police arrived and determined Faedra Parker and her accomplice, 33-year-old Junior Dorvilier, of Seaford, forced their way into a motel room, occupied by a 25-year-old victim/acquaintance and physically assaulted him.
The victim sustained injuries to his head during the incident but refused medical treatment at the scene.
The two suspects fled the scene in an unknown direction in a vehicle belonging to Parker, according to police. Troopers, with the assistance of local police agencies, tried to locate the suspects but were unsuccessful. Troopers then obtained active warrants for the arrests of both of them.
On Monday, Parker turned herself into the Laurel Police Department and was charged with the following crimes: Burglary 1st Degree (Felony), Strangulation (Felony), Conspiracy 2nd Degree (Felony), and Assault Third Degree. She was arraigned and released on her own recognizance.
Dorvilier has not been located at this time and is currently wanted for Burglary 1st Degree (Felony), Conspiracy 2nd Degree (Felony), and Offensive Touching. He also has multiple active warrants for a vehicle pursuit that occurred in October, 2021. He is described as a black male with dreadlock-style hair, approximately 6’2” tall, and weighing approximately 175 pounds. He could possibly be in the Seaford or Laurel areas. Anyone with any information on his whereabouts is urged to contact police.
Republican candidate Chuck Welch has officially withdrawn from the Attorney General race amid health concerns.
In an interview Tuesday morning with TV Delmarva’s Rob Petree, Welch confirmed speculation and rumors that he was dropping out of the race due to health concerns related to his diabetes.
“We thought we could keep it under control,” Welch said referring to approval he got from his doctor prior to entering the race. “During the race, the lifestyle you’re leading, you’re up and down the state, your schedule’s off, you got odd hours, and things like that, my sugar kept climbing, and finally last week my doctor said ‘look, it’s time to face it, we’ve tried different medications, it’s not working, and it’s getting to the point where your numbers are high enough and it’s been long enough that it’s really going to start affecting your health.”
Welch said he sat down with his family and made the tough decision to withdraw from the race.
“After we talked it over, we just thought that staying healthy is more important than winning a campaign,” Welch said. “The most disappointing thing for me is the individuals I talked to who are disappointed about the fact that I’m no longer in the race. It’s a case that, it’s just a personal decision we had to make, and I’m sorry for their disappointment, but everybody has been very understanding and I appreciate that.”
When asked if he would throw his support behind his opponent, Julianne Murray, who following this news is now running unopposed for the Republican nomination, Welch was reluctant to give his endorsement.
“I can tell you that she [Murray] and I agree a lot on a lot of the issues, I just thought I was better prepared to go forward and run the office,” Welch said. “I’m not ready to endorse anybody at this time, I’m going to take some time off and think about the big picture. I’ll probably help with some local campaigns, and maybe later on I will but I’m not endorsing anybody at the current moment.”
Welch was born and raised in Delaware. He is a graduate of William Penn High School, the University of Delaware, and the Villanova University School of Law. He has been a member of the Bar of the Delaware Supreme Court for over 35 years. He started his legal career as a Deputy Attorney General, followed by a period of time in private practice where he engaged in a diverse general practice, including work as a criminal defense counsel and as an attorney for the Delaware House of Representatives.
As of this time, Julianne Murray is running unopposed against incumbent Democratic Attorney General Kathy Jennings.
The Council on Development Finance (CDF) on Monday approved eight Site Readiness Fund project applications totaling $6.2 million. The projects are located throughout the state with three each in New Castle County and Kent County and two in Sussex County.
Established through Senate Bill 127, the Site Readiness Fund promotes economic growth and stability by investing in the development or improvement of commercial and industrial sites to attract job-creating businesses.
“The Site Readiness Fund was created to help fund development or redevelopment of commercial and industrial sites across Delaware to spur economic growth and new business investment. With the funding approved today, these properties can be quickly converted to meet the needs of employers who will create quality jobs for Delawareans,” said Governor John Carney.
“By investing in these projects, we can ensure that Delaware remains competitive in attracting and retaining vital businesses that create opportunities for employment,” said Jordan Schulties, Director of the Division of Small Business. “In today’s competitive economy, it is more important than ever that we have tools like the Site Readiness Fund to help expand and sustain economic growth in our state.”
“The Site Readiness Fund allows us to be proactive in developing a ready supply of sites available to companies who choose to locate or expand in Delaware,” said Kurt Foreman, President and CEO of the Delaware Prosperity Partnership. “We are excited to see the projects receiving funding today develop over the coming months and look forward to the new jobs they will bring to Delaware.”
The Site Readiness Fund provides grants, loans or other economic assistance to qualified businesses or local governments that invest in constructing, renovating or improving commercial, industrial sites that are readily available to new businesses, established businesses that are considering moving to the state, or existing businesses within the state that need additional sites to remain or expand in Delaware.
The FY 2022 Bond Bill included $10 million to support the Site Readiness Fund. This is the first round of funding for the program.
The project applications approved for funding by the CDF on Monday include:
$1 million to the Chestnut Run Innovation and Science Park partners to modernize campus infrastructure of the Chestnut Run Innovation and Science Park, which was designed to combine research, advanced manufacturing operations and business incubation while cultivating relationships with local universities. Funding will be used to improve site lighting and utilities, paving and concrete, and for selective building demolition.
$1 million to the City of Harrington for proposed redevelopment of an industrial park on three properties on U.S. Route 13 totaling 131 acres. Funding will be used for engineering and planning of the project and roadway and utility work.
$1 million to Drawbridge Claymont to support the development of an industrial site on 58 acres at 6300 Philadelphia Pike in Claymont. Funding will be used for demolition and engineering services.
$1 million to E & D Holdings to support continued development of the Wyoming Business Center at 140 and 146 Southern Boulevard in Wyoming. Funding will be used to prepare the site, install infrastructure and utilities, and construct two new warehouse buildings.
$1 million to Martin Property Development to support development of 112,000 square feet of flexible industrial warehouse space on 10.9 acres of commercial property in the Frankford Business Park. Funding will be used for civil engineering, earthwork, sitework, and utilities.
$1 million to Sussex County to create new shovel-ready sites at the Delaware Coastal Business Park near Georgetown. Funding will be used for road improvements, utilities, and supporting infrastructure.
$100,000 to the City of Milford to support planning for the development of an industrial/business park on a recently purchased 182-acre lot on Milford Harrington Highway. Funding will be used to develop a master plan, conduct a traffic impact study, and complete engineering design.
$100,000 to Shanlan Corporation to support planning for the development of the St. Georges Logistics Center at 1870 Dupont Parkway in Middletown, which is conceptually designed to include three buildings totaling more than 2.5 million square feet of warehouse facilities. Funding will be used for engineering fees and transition surveying.
Three additional Site Readiness Fund project applications requesting a total of $3 million will be considered at the next CDF meeting on April 25. If those projects are approved, the first round of Site Readiness funding will support 11 projects at a total of $9.2 million.
On March 24 Carlisle units responded to a reported MVC with entrapment on route 1 northbound. One patient was extricated and transported to the hospital by Helicopter. Carlisle received assistance from Station 49, Frederica Fire Company, Sussex County Paramedics, and Trooper 2 from the Delaware State Police. The patient was extracted in a short matter of time and the road was reopened approximately 45 minutes later.
Top Stories: 18-year-old killed, several injured in serious crash near Milton. $300 rebate proposed for taxpayers in Delaware to combat fuel costs. Wilmington man charged in shooting death of a Dover man.
Weather: Snow squalls will begin to dissipate as we get closer to the evening hours. A very cold night is ahead with breezy conditions. Another chilly day is in store tomorrow but a nice warm-up and thunderstorm chances are in the forecast for the second half of the week.
Wild turkey hunting in Delaware begins Saturday, April 2 with a one-day turkey hunt for youth ages 10 through 15 and for non-ambulatory hunters, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today – with the regular turkey hunting season opening Saturday, April 9 and running through Saturday, May 7.
Hunting hours are a half-hour before sunrise until 1 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with no Sunday hunting allowed. Only bearded turkeys may be harvested, and the bag limit is one bearded turkey per hunter each year, regardless of where and when harvested.
Youth participating in the one-day April 2 hunt must be 10 to 15 years of age and must be accompanied by an adult 21 years of age or older who has completed a Delaware-approved turkey hunter safety class and who possesses a Delaware hunting license or License Exempt Number (LEN).
Accompanying adults may not hunt during the youth-day hunt. Regular-season turkey hunters under the age of 13 must be accompanied by an adult of 21 years of age or older who has completed a Delaware-approved turkey hunter safety class and who possesses a Delaware hunting license or LEN.
Non-ambulatory hunters who participate in the one-day hunt on April 2 must need a wheelchair for mobility.
Hunting regulations require that all harvested birds must be checked at an authorized turkey check station by 2:30 p.m. on the day the bird was harvested. A list of turkey check stations is available at dnrec.delaware.gov and in the 2021/2022 Delaware Hunting & Trapping Guide. Check station hours may vary, so hunters are advised to call the station to confirm hours of operation.
Hunters who want their bird scored and entered into National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) records are reminded to have their turkey’s weight recorded on a certified scale. For more information, see the NWTF website.
Hunting on state wildlife areas and in state forests during the spring regular turkey hunting season requires carrying a public land permit that was issued via preseason lottery, with the permit specifying the public lands and season segment/dates that can be hunted.
Hunters participating in the special turkey hunt for youth and non-ambulatory hunters on April 2 may hunt without a public land permit on those state wildlife areas and state forests open to turkey hunting during the regular turkey hunting season as indicated on pages 43 and 45 of the Hunting & Trapping Guide.
Additional information on hunting seasons and state wildlife areas is available in the Hunting & Trapping Guide or by calling the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Wildlife Section at 302-739-9912. Information on hunting licenses and the Conservation Access Pass is available at de.gov/huntinglicense or by calling the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife Recreational Licensing office at 302-739-9918.
Top Stories: $300 rebate, gas tax holiday proposed by lawmakers to ease the pain at the pump in Delaware. Delaware State Police conducting a homicide investigation in Dover.
Weather: The sunshine has returned but much colder air is moving into the region this weekend. More showers in the forecast for Saturday with some small hail? Could very well be!
Dover Police and Delaware Probation and Parole arrested three people on drug charges after a traffic stop turned up heroin and PCP.
According to the Dover Police Department, officers stopped a vehicle driven by 38-year-old Mandy Jackson, of Camden, in the 500 Block of North DuPont Highway.
Police say 43-year-old Willie Wilson, of Felton, and 25-year-old Alyssa Harris, of Kenton, were passengers in the vehicle at the time of the stop.
Officers located 1,114 bags of heroin and .7 grams of PCP inside the vehicle and took all three suspects into custody.
Jackson was committed to Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution on a $82,200 secured bond on the following offenses: Possession of Heroin, Possession with Intent to Deliver Heroin, Conspiracy 2nd Degree, and Drug Paraphernalia.
Wilson was committed to SCI on a $62,400 cash bond on the following offenses: Possession of Heroin, Possession with Intent to Deliver Heroin, Possession of PCP, Conspiracy 2nd Degree, and Drug Paraphernalia.
Harris was released on an O.R. bond on the following offenses: Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of PCP, and Local Fugitive.
Delaware State Police arrested Derrick Stevens, 33, and Alexis Wierzbicki, 21, both of Wilmington, DE, on drugs and weapon charges following a week-long drug investigation.
Delaware State Police New Castle County Governor’s Task Force (GTF) members conducted a drug investigation at the Red Roof Inn located at 415 Stanton Christiana Road, Newark, after receiving information of illegal drug sales taken place at a motel room. On March 23, 2022, at approximately 9:35p.m., Governor’s Task Force (GTF) members located two subjects identified as Alexis Wierzbicki and Derrick Stevens leaving their motel room and took them into custody without incident. Subsequently, troopers executed a search warrant on the motel room and discovered a loaded .38 Special Smith & Wesson Revolver, approximately .4 grams of crack cocaine, approximately .46 grams of heroin, and over $500 in suspected drug proceeds.
Alexis Wierzbicki
Stevens and Wierzbicki were transported to Troop 2 where they were charged with the following crimes:
Derrick Stevens
Stevens was arraigned in the Justice of the Peace Court #11 and committed to the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on $43,500 cash bond.
Alexis Wierzbicki
Wierzbicki was arraigned in the Justice of the Peace Court #11 and released on $36,000 unsecured bond.
The Lewes Transit Center is a nominee for “America’s Best Bus Stop”, and is now looking for your vote.
In the spirit of this year’s NCAA tournament, StreetBlog is holding a single-elimination tournament to crown the best bus station in the nation.
“The Lewes transit center, which does, indeed, run peak service during the summer months to get families to the seaside without clogging up area roads, pretty much fits that description — and if your idea of a great bus stop is one that expands shared transportation to more people without skimping on the amenities, this might be your pick,” StreetBlog says about the center.
Voting will open up soon for the first-round, which will send one bus stop to the finals. The Lewes Transit Center faces fierce competition with Cambridge, Massachusetts and Mississauga, Ontario. You can vote and view results here.
Construction on the transit center first began in 2016 and was operational in 2017. It was part of Dart First State’s initiative to provide better public transportation and transit center hubs across the state.
BREAKING NEWS | Delaware bill introduced to suspend gas tax. Meanwhile, Sen. Coons praises Biden’s Supreme Court pick, and Surf Bagel is coming to Milford!
Weather: Rain will continue to overspread the region tonight and pick up in intensity. Rain will be heavy times throughout the night into the morning hours Thursday. Don’t be surprised to hear a couple of rumbles of thunder as well.
Top Stories: Kim Petters officially files to run for State Senate. Attorney General candidate Chuck Welch crime plan for Delaware.
Weather: Clouds will be on the increase tonight with rain chances for Wednesday into Thursday. Not to mention a big cool-down expected towards the weekend.
Republican Attorney General Candidate Chuck Welch has released a detailed plan to combat violent crime in Delaware.
The multi-faceted plan, released Monday, would bring law enforcement, prosecutors, and community leaders together to seriously begin making crime illegal again in Delaware.
In the attached initiative, Welch, a former Kent County Judge and State Representative, promises within 30 days of being elected that he will form an Attorney General’s Urban Violence Task Force, with the goal to reduce both long term and short term urban violence. The task force will consist of three components: 1.) Investigation, 2.) Prosecution, and 3.) Community Based Research.
The Task Force will be led by Welch’s Chief Deputy Attorney General and will be supported by the State Prosecutor and the State Solicitor. It will be funded through the reallocation of current Department of Justice monies, federal grants, and the implementation of previously funded studies dealing with urban violence.
“My goal is to assemble the best legal and law enforcement professionals available, together with community leaders, to address the ever increasing rates of violent crime in Delaware,” Welch said. “We need to turn these rates around. Only then can the people of Delaware feel safe.”
Welch’s initiative references a 2015 report released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) entitled
“Elevated Rates of Urban Firearm Violence and Opportunities for Prevention-Wilmington, Delaware.”
The study found that Wilmington, Delaware had one of the highest homicide rates of any major city in the United States, some years as high as fourth overall.
As of December 12, 2021, 148 people had been shot for the year in Wilmington alone, and shooting homicides were at an all time high. In the initiative, Welch vows that reducing violent crime in our urban areas and throughout Delaware will be “Job Number One” in his administration.
“We can and certainly must do a better job of addressing the violence plaguing Wilmington, Newark, Dover, Seaford and all other parts of the First State,” Welch stated in the report. “I intend to do my part and intend for the Department of Justice to do its part in the effort to reduce the rate of violent crime in our state. We must do a better job protecting Delawareans than we are doing under our current Attorney General.”
Chuck Welch is running against opponent Julianne Murray for the Republican nomination of Attorney General for the State of Delaware.
Top Stories: Delaware State Police investigates officer-involved shooting in Dewey Beach. Fox tests positive for rabies in Rehoboth Beach. Sussex County couple lost daughter’s ashes returned.
Weather: Mostly clear skies will continue into the overnight hours tonight. More clouds will move in for your Tuesday with warmer temperatures. And rain chances are on the increase for Wednesday and Thursday.
A Seaford woman was arrested on drug charges following a police chase that resulted in the discovery of heroin and cocaine.
According to the Delaware State Police Department, the incident occurred shortly before 9 p.m., Sunday night as troopers on patrol witnessed a Ford F-150 traveling over the posted speed limit eastbound on Hardscrabble Road, in the area of Shiloh Church Road.
Troopers initiated a traffic stop, but the vehicle failed to stop and a pursuit ensued. The Ford fled eastbound on Hardscrabble Road where it ran off the road in the area of Governor Stockley Road and began driving through a field.
While in the field, police say the Ford struck a ditch and became disabled. The driver then exited the vehicle and tried to flee on foot.
Troopers gave chase and took the suspect, later identified as 23-year-old Taylor Hurley, into custody without further incident. Police later discovered she was in possession of approximately 7.71 grams of cocaine and a gram of heroin.
The two troopers involved in the apprehension suffered minor injuries and were evaluated at an area hospital.
Hurley was transported to Delaware State Police Troop 4 where she was charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance Tier 1 Quantity (Felony), Disregarding a Police Officer Signal (Felony), Resisting Arrest, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia- 2 counts, and several traffic violations. She was arraigned and committed to the Delores J. Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution on a $8,625 secured bond.
Delaware public health officials are cautioning the public after a fox tested positive for rabies in Rehoboth Beach.
The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) is advising Sussex County residents, who live or spend time near the area of Bayard Avenue and Philadelphia Street in Rehoboth Beach, of a positive case of rabies in a fox.
One individual, a non-Delaware resident, was potentially exposed to the fox in the residential neighborhood. The fox was tested for rabies, which returned positive results on Friday, March 18, 2022.
The individual has been contacted to begin post-exposure prophylaxis treatment (PEP).
Since Jan. 1, 2022, DPH has performed rabies tests on 46 animals, two of which were confirmed to be rabid, which includes one raccoon and one fox, including this positive animal.
DPH only announces those rabies cases for which it is possible the animal had unknown contacts with additional humans or pets. In 2021, DPH performed rabies tests on 188 animals, 19 of which were confirmed to be rabid, which includes one dog, one deer, one fox, one cow, two skunks, three cats, four raccoons and six bats.
Anyone who thinks they might have been bitten, scratched, or encountered a fox in this area should immediately contact their health care provider or call the DPH Rabies Program at 302-744-4995. An epidemiologist is available 24/7.
Anyone in the area who thinks a fox may have bitten their pet should call their private veterinarian to have their pet examined and treated, and the exposure reported to the Delaware Department of Agriculture.
Delaware State Police are investigating an officer involved shooting that resulted in a fatality in Dewey Beach.
A press conference was held around 1 p.m., Saturday where Delaware State Police confirmed that around 1:15 a.m. early that morning Dewey Beach Police were called to the Starboard Restaurant and Bar in Dewey Beach for reports of someone leaving the establishment with a firearm.
Police arrived and the man, later identified as Rodney K. Robinson II, 21, of Milford, fled on foot about three blocks and evaded troopers, according to police. He later returned to the restaurant and entered a restricted section of the establishment that was for employees only.
At that time, officers arrived and located the suspect on the patio where he was chased onto Coastal Highway and then into an alley off Saulsbury Street. A single round was shot by a one-and-half year veteran of the police department. The suspect suffered a single gunshot wound to the upper torso.
Police located a handgun at the scene. Live saving efforts were made and EMS were called; however, the suspect, a 21-year-old Milford man, was pronounced dead after being transported to a local hospital.
Anyone with any information, or anyone who may have witnessed the incident, is urged to contact police.
Delaware State Police are investigating a fatal motor vehicle crash that occurred Thursday night at the intersection of Delmar Road and North Spring Hill Road.
According to Delaware State Police, the crash occurred around 6 p.m., Thursday as a 2004 Ford F250 pickup truck, operated by 22-year-old Luke Figgs, of Delmar, Delaware was traveling southbound on Susan Beach Road.
The Ford stopped at the intersection of Delmar Road for a posted stop sign, intending on continuing south onto North Spring Hill Road. At the same time, a 1999 Honda Accord, operated by a 30-year-old Mardela Springs, Maryland woman was traveling eastbound on Delmar Road approaching the same intersection.
The Ford entered the intersection and pulled directly into the path of the Honda where the front of the Ford struck the front driver side of the car. As a result, the Honda rotated counterclockwise off the southeast corner of roadway and into the grass where its passenger side struck a utility pole.
The Ford failed to stop at the scene and began traveling eastbound on Delmar Road. An officer from the Delmar Police Department found the hit-and-run vehicle on East Pine Street in Delmar, Maryland where a traffic stop was initiated and police made contact with the driver, Figgs who was taken into custody without incident.
The driver of the Honda, who was properly restrained at the time of the crash, was transported by ambulance to Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury where she died as a result of her injuries. Her identification is pending notification of next of kin.
There were two passengers, ages 4 and 29, who were inside of the Honda at the time of the crash. They were transported to Peninsula Regional Medical Center and treated for minor injuries.
Figgs was not injured and was committed to the Wicomico County Detention Center on DUI and other traffic related charges in Maryland. There is an active warrant for his arrest on Vehicular Homicide (Felony), and two counts of Vehicular Assault 2nd (Felony), and numerous traffic related charges.
The road was closed for approximately six hours while the investigation was completed and the crash was cleared.
The crash remains under investigation. Anyone who may have witnessed the crash or has information pertinent to the investigation is urged to contact Corporal/3 Argo at 302-703-3264 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333.
From our studio in Georgetown Delaware, this is the TV Delmarva Channel 14 News at 4.
Top Stories: Sussex County couple pleads with public to help find daughter’s ashes. Georgetown woman but, injured by a cat in an animal hoarding case.
Weather: warm conditions this afternoon will lead to increasing clouds tonight. Could be looking at a couple of t-storms on the strong side for your Saturday.
A Georgetown woman is speaking out after she was attacked by a feral cat that she says is the result of an animal hoarding issue in her neighborhood.
Eva Middleton says for years her neighborhood in Georgetown has been dealing with a serious animal hoarding, feral cat issue at a house across the street, and that as a result she was recently bitten and injured by one of the cats.
“Tuesday afternoon, I was raking leaves in my yard, I was in and out of the shed looking for rakes and things, ya know, just trying to do some spring cleaning outside, and I heard my two little dogs were barking, and usually if a kid rides by or someone walks by and they bark that’s the end of it, but they wouldn’t stop barking, so I went around front to see what was going on,” Eva said. “They had a cat, a cat was crouched on the ground, it wasn’t my cat, and they were just both barking at it, and they’re small dogs, smaller than the cat, and I seen the cat around, it’s in my yard all the time.”
When Eva saw the cat, she said she tried to pick it up and move it when it bit her, seriously injuring her hand.
“It sunk it’s bottom and upper teeth into my hand, I don’t know if you can see it, but it was pretty brutal,” Eva said. “And then I thought, I’m older, I made a rock garden and I drop a rock on my foot, and then I got bit, everyday it’s something.”
After she was bit, Eva says she called animal control who showed up the next day and seized countless cats, some of which were dead.
“They had four or five animal trucks show up and the police, and they took all of the animals out, and I saw them carrying bags of dead cats,” Eva explained. “It took all day to this, and then she [the owner] did show up, I heard she got arrested for animal cruelty, and I don’t know true that is, but I did later text my son and my daughter who live in other states, and my daughter said ‘yea, mom she told me she keeps the cats in freezers, the ones that died,’ now I don’t know if they check the freezers, but the more people I talk to the worse it sounds.”
Eva said the animal hoarding at the home has long been a problem and her concern grew after a family moved in next door with several children, who she said could have been seriously injured by the stray cats if something wasn’t done.
“This has been going on for years!” Eva explained. “We just had a wonderful family move in next door on the other side of me, and they have six little kids that are out playing on the lawn all the time, and these cats are walking in my yard and there’s as well. I’m really concerned for the safety of the kids in this neighborhood.”
TV Delmarva News reached out to the Delaware Office of Animal Welfare who was aware of the incident and issued the following statement:
“Officers from the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) Office of Animal Welfare (OAW) seized 3 dogs and 12 cats on Thursday from deplorable living conditions in a home in Georgetown. One deceased cat was also removed. OAW executed a search warrant and seized the animals, which have been transferred to Brandywine Valley SPCA for further evaluation and care. An investigation is ongoing, and charges are pending.”
We are getting closer and closer to our typical Severe Weather Season here on the shore. And we get a bit of a taste for it on Saturday. Now here’s the setup we are looking at.
First off we have a fairly strong area of low pressure moving across the Great Lakes region with a strengthening mid level Jetstream across the Mid-Atlantic States. That’s the first set of ingredients for the storm setup for tomorrow.
Now storm formation will be isolated in nature based on the latest high resolution model guidance. One thing is for sure we got the warmer temperatures and bit of surface moistures with dew points getting into the 60’s. So it’s going to be a little bit muggy out there by the early afternoon hours.
Now we will see ample instability and wind shear across the region before our cold front arrives during the evening hours. MLCAPE (a product used to measure instability) showing values in the moderate instability category which is very crucial for thunderstorm development. Not to mention with the decent amount of instabilty, mid level lapse rates are fairly steep as well. Anytime we get Lapse Rates in the mid levels over 7C/km, that increases our hail threat just a bit with the colder air higher into the atmosphere. This is why we have a bit of a higher threat for seeing quarter size hail in storms that may develop. Not to mention we have some decent bulk shear (wind shear in a storm environment). 50-60kts is more than plenty to get a mix of line segments or even a couple of isolated supercell thunderstorms.
Now in production for a little while, we have been working very hard at developing to really narrow down tornado threats in a 0-10 scale (0-100%). We are testing the waters on this one since there is a little bit of a tornado threat going into tomorrow. our TEHI product showing a level 1-2 threat out of 10 for tornadoes here on the shore. meaning storms will have a 10-20% chance of producing a tornado. Low level environment showing sufficient turning in the lowest levels which is very important for tornadogenisis.
One limiting factor for storms tomorrow is the time of year we are in. Our coastal water temperatures do play a role in our storm threats with them being in the upper 40’s. This can create some stable air near the surface and cause storms to climb upscale and scrapping any tornado threat all together.
A case of bird flu has been confirmed at a farm in Kent County.
Federal laboratory testing has confirmed a highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza (HPAI) case in a commercial broiler farm in Kent County.
Following an investigation by the Delaware Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratory confirmed poultry from this farm tested positive for highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza (HPAI).
This avian influenza detection follows previously announced cases on farms in New Castle County, Delaware, and Cecil and Queen Anne’s Counties, Maryland. Following these cases, federal and state partners have greatly expanded their surveillance sampling and testing regimen to better protect the poultry industry on the Delmarva Peninsula.
State officials have quarantined all affected premises, and the birds have been depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease. Birds from affected flocks will not enter the food system.
There is currently minimal risk to public health as there have been no human cases of HPAI in the United States. Avian influenza does not affect poultry meat or egg products, which remain safe to eat.
Avian influenza is a highly contagious airborne respiratory virus that spreads quickly among birds through nasal and eye secretions and manure. The virus can be spread in various ways from flock to flock, including by wild birds, through contact with infected poultry, by equipment, and on the clothing and shoes of caretakers. This virus affects poultry, like chickens, ducks, turkeys, and wild bird species such as ducks, geese, shorebirds, and raptors.
Delaware State Police are searching for a Sussex County man wanted on multiple warrants for violating his probation.
30-year-old Durron E. Jones II is currently wanted for multiple warrants, capias’, and violation of probation. He is described as a black male, approximately 6’2″, weighing approximately 180 lbs.
Durron may be in the Dagsboro, Seaford, Bridgeville, or Delmar areas.
Attempts to locate Durron have been unsuccessful and troopers are asking anyone who has information regarding his whereabouts to contact the Troop 4 Governor’s Task Force by calling 302.752.3822 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333.
From our studio in Georgetown Delaware, this is the TV Delmarva Channel 14 News at 4.
Top Stories: Dagsboro woman claims she was sold a sick puppy that left her family gravely ill. Body found in Seaford near a burning vehicle.
Weather: Dreary conditions continue into the evening hours tonight. We get a dry spell for Friday before a cold front will bring thunderstorms to the area on Saturday.
A Dagsboro woman is speaking out, claiming she purchased a puppy from a private breeder in Sussex County only to discover that it was severely ill with a bacterial infection that infected her father and son who had to be hospitalized.
Alexis Boylen says she purchased her Caucasian Shepard, Drax back in January for $2,000 from a Facebook puppy page that operated out of Delmar only to realize once she got it home that it was gravely ill with a serious bacterial infection called Campylobacter that can affect humans, and did, seriously sickening her father and son.
“Immediately, within ten minutes of bringing him home, he had stomach issues and diarrhea on the floor, immediately,” Boylen explained. “I didn’t know if that was normal or not, so I thought ‘maybe he’s just getting used to puppy food, he just weened off his mom, and so about three days later I sent her [breeder] a message letting her know he’s had these problems since we got him.”
Concerned for the welfare of her new pet, Boylen took Drax to her veterinarian who diagnosed him with a serious bacterial infection called Campylobacter that can affect humans, and did, seriously sickening her father and son.
“My dad got really sick, he had a fever, stomach problems, and he was shaking with a fever and he said ‘I have to go to the hospital’ and I think it was after two days of being sick he went to the hospital and was hospitalized,” Boylen said. “They told him he has Campylobacter, which is a bacterial infection that people or pets can get and it can cause fever, diarrhea, cramps, nausea, and vomiting.”
It wasn’t long before Boylen says her son got sick.
“My son got sick about two days later and he had the same symptoms,” Boylen emphasized. “I took him to his doctor, got him tested, and he also had Campylobacter, both doctors told us this is something you can catch from a puppy and that I needed to get my puppy tested.”
Boylen reached back out to the breeder to apprise them of the situation, and they offered to pay for Drax to see their vet, which Boylen denied and instead took Drax to her veterinarian who diagnosed Drax with Campylobacter.
“I took them to my vet, ya know, I wanted him to see my vet,” Boylen said. “He came back positive for Campylobacter, Giardia, which is like a parasite that lives in the intestine, and I was also told that it was very contagious to other pets and I have two other dogs, and she told me that he had the worst case of hookworm she’s ever seen.”
Following the ordeal, Boylen says she reached out to the breeder who sold her the puppy who denied that the puppy was sick from their litter and eventually blocked her.
“I messaged the woman, let her know exactly what happened, and I said you told me you’d pay for him to see a vet, I had to take him to see a vet, here are the bills, and she told me ‘well, he didn’t get it from here,’” Boylen stressed. “Well, he’s been sick since I got him, and my pets have never been sick.”
We were able to track down the breeder who sold Boylen the puppy who refused to do an interview and vehemently denied that the puppy was sick when they sold it. By their own admission, the breeders do not have a license to breed and sell in the state of Delaware.
Boylen says Drax is now doing well and is healthy, and moving forward she’s considering legal action.
We’ll have more on this story and the full interview with Alexis on The Reporter’s Weekly this coming Saturday at 9 a.m. here on TV Delmarva.
The Delaware Supreme Court is mourning the loss of retired Justice Randy J. Holland, the youngest member ever appointed to the Supreme Court in the history of the state.
The Delaware Judiciary was saddened to learn of the passing of retired Supreme Court Justice Randy J. Holland on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. The Delaware Courts have sent their condolences to Justice Holland’s family and friends and all those who worked with Justice Holland over his many years on the Court.
“The Delaware Judiciary mourns the loss of one of our greatest public servants,” said Chief Justice Collins J. Seitz, Jr. who served with Justice Holland from 2015 to 2017. “Randy Holland served on the Delaware Supreme Court for over 30 years. He wrote cogent and authoritative opinions in all areas of the law that have withstood the test of time. He championed the highest ethical standards for Delaware lawyers and judges. As president of the American Inns of Court, he worked to further its nationwide mission to improve the skills, professionalism and ethics of the bench and bar. Most recently, he chaired a court committee to work on bail reform in domestic violence cases. What Justice Randy Holland will be most remembered for is his kindness, humility, and graciousness, and his personal notes written with a blue felt tip pen. The Supreme Court will recognize this giant of a man in a future event. His family will be in our prayers.”
Justice Holland was appointed and reappointed to the Delaware Supreme Court by three different Governors and served with four different Chief Justices during his tenure on the bench.
At his appointment to the Supreme Court in 1986 by Governor Mike Castle, Justice Holland became the youngest person ever to serve on the state’s highest court and went on to also become the Court’s longest serving Justice at his retirement in March 2017. Throughout his 30 years on the bench, Justice Holland wrote more than 700 reported opinions and several thousand case dispositive orders.
“Delaware just lost one of its true servants,” said former Chief Justice Leo E. Strine, Jr., who served with Justice Holland from 2014 to 2017. “No one loved our state or its bar more than Justice Holland. Through his dedication to the judicial craft, his fostering of bench-bar relations through the Inns of Court movement, his preservation of our state’s history, and his concern for the most vulnerable of litigants – particularly the children served by our Family Court – Randy made our state a better place and burnished its reputation as a legal center of excellence. We will miss his friendship and are profoundly sorry for his family’s irreplaceable loss.”
During his years on the Court, Justice Holland was known as not only an expert on state constitutional law but also as an avid historian of Delaware and the Delaware Supreme Court. He authored or co-authored ten books, including two books on the Delaware Constitution, two histories of the Delaware Supreme Court, and a History of the Delaware Bar in the Twentieth Century in addition to many law review articles.
“Justice Holland was a great and historic jurist of the Court,” said former Chief Justice E. Norman Veasey, who served with Justice Holland from 1992 to 2004. “Indeed, he was a quintessential and intellectual jurist, with an extraordinary grounding in the law and a marvelous sense of fairness and equity. He was the longest-serving justice in the history of the Court, having been sworn in to the Court as the youngest justice in the history of the Court in 1986. He was appointed to three 12-year terms on the Court from his investiture and served thirty years until he retired from the Court in March 2017. Not only was he historically long-serving as a jurist but also he was an extraordinarily gifted and scholarly writer, having authored or co- authored ten books and treatises as well as innumerable articles. Above all, he was a warm and noble human being – a truly good man in all respects. He was devoted to his wife of 50 years, Dr. Ilona Holland, their son, Ethan, daughter-in-law, Jen, and their granddaughters, Rori and Chloe. He will be missed in ways we have not begun to fathom by all who knew him, worked with him, and admired him.”
Justice Holland graduated from Swarthmore College and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he received the Loughlin Award for legal ethics. He later earned a Master of Laws in Judicial Process from the University of Virginia Law School and was awarded honorary Doctor of Law degrees by the Delaware Law School and Swarthmore College.
Justice Holland taught corporate governance, appellate practice and state constitutional law and frequently focused on business ethics. He travelled internationally to advance corporate governance and ethics including working with the justice system in Taiwan. On several occasions he hosted visiting delegations from Taiwan to Delaware.
After leaving the Delaware Supreme Court, he became Senior of Counsel in the Wilmington office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. In 2018 the Randy J. Holland Family Law Endowment was created in his honor for the Combined Campaign for Justice to fund a full-time fellowship position to serve the family law needs for low-income families.
From our studio in Georgetown Delaware, this is the TV Delmarva Channel 14 News at 4.
Top Stories: One dead, several injured in downtown Dover fire. Delaware State Police seek witnesses to carjacking crime spree. Ukrainian President addresses US Congress.
Weather: A mild afternoon will turn into increasing clouds and rain showers after midnight. Get ready for a pretty soggy Thursday ahead.
At least one person has died and several more have been injured in an early morning fire that tore through a building in downtown Dover.
The Dover Police and Fire Department, along with the City of Dover Fire Marshal’s Office, are investigating the blaze that broke out around 2:30 a.m., Wednesday at a large, mixed-use building on the corner of Loockerman Street and South New Street.
Multiple agencies responded to assist and the fire was finally brought under control around 8 a.m. following hours of efforts to extinguish the blaze.
At this time, officials say one male victim was found deceased inside the building and seven others have been transported to a nearby hospital, with the majority being evaluated and treated for minor injuries and/or smoke inhalation.
The cause and origin of the fire have not yet been determined and remain under investigation at this time.
Loockerman Street from Queen Street to Governors Avenue is expected to remain closed for several hours, with several surrounding streets also affected by closures and detours.
House Republicans are proposing a rebate totaling approximately $100 million that would benefit every man, woman, and child residing in The First State.
Every legal resident of the state, regardless of age or income, would receive $100 under the plan. For example, a household containing a family of four would receive a total distribution of $400.
“This proposal is consistent with what our members have been proposing since early last year,” said State House Minority Leader Danny Short (R-Seaford). “Our state experienced huge revenue surpluses last year, without enacting any significant tax reduction measures. We have again been gifted with large surpluses in the current fiscal year. There is simply no excuse for not moving forward with targeted tax cuts and rebates, returning some of this excess cash to our citizens.”
State House Minority Whip Tim Dukes (R-Laurel) agreed, saying the rebate proposal initially began while House Republicans were exploring the possibility of suspending the state fuel tax for a limited time. “With the dramatic rise in the price of gas hurting so many working families, we thought suspending the state fuel tax might provide a small amount of relief. Unfortunately, this was a tougher nut to crack than most people might realize.”
Delaware imposes a tax of 23-cents-per-gallon on gasoline and 22-cents-per-gallon on diesel. The money generated from the levy – amounting to about $11.5 million a month – is earmarked for the Transportation Trust Fund, where it pays for road projects, including payments on bonds sold to finance this work.
Under Title 30, § 5110(c) of the Delaware Code, the state fuel tax cannot be decreased while there are outstanding bonds being supported (repaid) with the revenue.
“I would have liked to have suspended the fuel tax from now through the July 4th Weekend, but Delaware law will not allow it,” Rep. Short said. “While it can be argued we could suspend or change the law, I do not think undermining sound fiscal policy is prudent.”
Both Reps. Short & Dukes said a fuel tax suspension could also have the unintended consequence of causing lines at gas stations in northern New Castle County as Pennsylvania motorists crossed the border to fill-up.
“With all due respect to our friends in the Keystone State, we’d like our state’s surplus to help Delaware families,” Rep. Dukes said.
Rep. Short said providing a $100 rebate to every legal Delaware resident would provide a more significant benefit to help modest income Delawareans deal with inflationary pressures.
“It is not just fuel that is going up,” he said. “We’re seeing across-the-board increases in the prices of dozens of essential items. It’s more important than ever to give Delawareans their money back.”
Rep. Dukes noted the total amount returned to Delaware citizens should be about $100 million. The 2020 Census recorded 989,948 people living in the state. Current state population estimates slightly exceed one million.
“This is a responsible one-time distribution of surplus money that will not have any ongoing obligation for the state and will not impact future revenue streams,” Rep. Dukes said. “It also amounts to less than one-eighth of the current surplus, providing state lawmakers with plenty of remaining flexibility to consider other proposals.”
The rebate bill, which is expected to be circulated for sponsorship later this week, will direct the Delaware Division of Revenue to devise a plan to carry out an equitable and rapid distribution of the designated rebate within 30 business days of the measure being enacted.
Top Stories: New Castle woman charged with carjacking, kidnapping, and manslaughter. A mother speaks out after her child was allegedly sexually assaulted in the school bathroom. Delaware bill introduced to protect a child’s right to operate a lemonade stand. Weather: Much warmer and drier conditions this week just in time for the spring equinox next week.
A New Castle woman is behind bars on multiple felony charges, including vehicular homicide, after police say she carjacked a vehicle and struck and killed a man.
According to Delaware State Police, the incident occurred around 9:30 a.m., Sunday, March 13 as troopers were dispatched to the area of 4049 New Castle Avenue for a reported carjacking. The initial investigation determined a female suspect, later identified as Brittallia Semaan, entered the front passenger side of a parked white Chevrolet Trax.
A 67-year-old male and 66-year-old female attempted to remove Brittallia from their SUV but were unsuccessful as she moved into the driver’s seat. As Brittallia attempted to flee the area, the female victim was struck by the SUV and sustained non-life-threatening injuries. At the time of the initial carjacking, two juveniles were seated in the backseat of the SUV but were successfully able to exit before Brittallia fled with the Trax southbound on RT. 9.
Moments later, Brittallia struck a 48-year-old New Castle man just south of Boothhurst Blvd. The victim was transported by EMS to an area hospital where he, unfortunately, died from his injuries. Identification is pending notification to next of kin. This fatal pedestrian collision remains under investigation by the Delaware State Police Troop 2 Collision Reconstruction Unit. Additional information regarding the crash will be released once it becomes available.
After the fatal pedestrian crash, Brittallia flees southbound into Old New Castle and enters the parking lot of the SPCA located in the area of South Street and 6th Street. At the same time, a 19-year-old female pedestrian was walking in the parking lot. For unknown reasons, Brittallia swerved into the pedestrian’s path, striking her. Fortunately, the victim sustained minor injuries.
Brittallia then exited the parking lot and traveled southbound on South Street before turning right onto Washington Street and began traveling northbound. At the same time, a Maserati was traveling southbound on Washington Street, approaching Brittallia’s vehicle.
For unknown reasons, Brittallia crossed over the double yellow line and crashed head-on with the Maserati on Rt 141 just before the intersection of SR 273. The driver, a 34-year-old Wilmington man, and passenger, a 26-year-old Wilmington woman, sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the crash.
After the crash occurred, a good Samaritan stopped at the crash scene to help. At that time, Brittallia entered the backseat of the 62-year-old New Castle man’s Ford Explorer. He confronted her and told her to exit his car. As she complied, she quickly entered the driver’s seat and attempted to flee the scene. The 62-year-old male tried to stop Brittallia but was unsuccessful and was dragged a short distance but was uninjured. As Brittallia fled the scene, a 77-year-old New Castle woman was still seated in the front passenger seat.
With the female passenger still in the Explorer, Brittallia continued traveling onto southbound River Road, where she collided with the rear of a Honda Odyssey in the area of Hamburg Rd. The 52-year-old female driver and the 77-year-old female passenger in Brittallia’s vehicle sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
An off-duty Wilmington Police Department Officer observed the second carjacking and followed Brittallia when he observed the final collision. With the assistance of a former New Castle County Police Officer, who had also stopped to render aid at the scene, Brittallia Semaan was apprehended until Troopers arrived. Brittallia was taken into custody and transported to Delaware State Police Troop 2, where this investigation remains ongoing. Once charges and mugshot become available, a press release will be issued.
The Delaware State Police would like to recognize and thank all of the good Samaritans who stopped and acted selfless today to help render aid to those in need.
Anyone who may have witnessed these incidents is asked to contact Delaware State Police Troop 2 by calling 302-834-2620. Information may also be provided by sending a private message through Facebook Messenger to Delaware State Police or calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-847-3333.
Model trends today have a uptick in the snow department with that surge of cold air moving in much quicker. This will allow a change over of heavy rain to snow just before noon Saturday across the northern portions of Delmarva and northern Maryland. The heaviest accumulations will occur the closer you get to the Appalachian mountains near Frederick and Westminster Maryland. A band of 1-3 inches is possible through Cecil and New Castle counties here on Delmarva. While other locations here on the shore will see some minor accumulations under 1 inch on grassy surfaces.
...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM SATURDAY TO 1 AM EST SUNDAY... * WHAT...Northwest winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph expected. * WHERE...Portions of New Jersey, southeast Pennsylvania, the eastern shores of Maryland and Delaware. * WHEN...From 10 AM Saturday to 1 AM EST Sunday. * IMPACTS...Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Strong winds develop late Saturday morning and continue into the afternoon. There may be a lull Saturday evening before increasing once again. ----------------------------------------------------------------
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TO 7 PM EST SATURDAY... * WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches. Winds gusting as high as 45 mph. * WHERE...Portions of northern New Jersey, southeast Pennsylvania and northern Delaware. * WHEN...From 6 AM to 7 PM EST Saturday. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. Gusty winds could bring down tree branches.
Delaware State Police are conducting an in-custody death investigation after a man wanted for 2nd Degree Rape died while in transport to the police station.
According to the Delaware State Police Department, the incident occurred around 10 a.m., Wednesday as detectives responded to the Bait and Tackle Shop at the Indian River Inlet located at 25012 Coastal Highway, in an attempt to reach 72-year-old Stanley Bradley, of Milton, Delaware.
Police received information that Bradley may have been at the business hanging out. He was wanted on an outstanding warrant for Rape 2nd Degree (Felony), according to police.
As detectives pulled into the parking lot, Bradley was spotted leaving the business. Contact was made with him, at which time police say he was very cooperative and was taken into custody without incident.
Bradley was placed in the front seat of the detectives’ divisionally issued Ford Taurus, with one of the detectives sitting in the backseat and the other driving. As the vehicle was traveling to Delaware State Police Troop 3 on Coastal Highway, in the area of Johnson Road, Bradley reportedly requested the detectives pull over because he thought he was suffering from a medical event.
Detectives immediately pulled over and both exited the vehicle to check on Bradley, who was now unconscious, police said. One detective immediately called 911 to request medical assistance as the other began performing CPR. Life-saving measures were performed until EMS arrived, who continued CPR before transporting Bradley to Bayhealth Sussex Campus.
Bradley was stabilized and transported to Bayhealth Hospital in Dover where he died at approximately 6 p.m.
The investigation revealed Bradley had a long medical history and had been hospitalized multiple times during the last year for cardiac issues. Bradley was turned over to the Delaware Division of Forensic Science for an autopsy to be performed.
On March 10, the Medical Examiner ruled Bradley died from natural causes pending a toxicology examination. There was nothing suspicious and no signs of trauma found during the investigation.
This case remains pending active by the Delaware State Police Criminal Investigations Unit pending the toxicology results. Due to the sensitive nature of the charges that Bradley was wanted for, police say no further information will be released regarding the case.
A Harrington man was arrested on felony drug charges after police say he was found in possession of more than six pounds of marijuana and other drugs during a traffic stop.
According to the Harrington Police Department, on Thursday, March 10, officers arrested 42-year-old Ronnell T. Vickers on several drug and weapons charges.
Officers on patrol came into contact with Vickers after discovering the vehicle he was operating had an invalid registration. After contact was made with Vickers, officers noticed a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle.
A probable cause search was initiated and police found several packages of marijuana total weight approximately 2,858.2 grams (6.3 pounds), 12.4 grams of ecstasy, a loaded 9mm handgun, two digital scales, and various forms of drug paraphernalia.
Vickers was taken into custody without incident and transported to Harrington Police Department where he was charged with the following: Manufacture/Deliver/PWID Controlled Substance Tier 2 quantity (C Felony), Manufacture/Deliver/PWID Controlled Substance (D Felony), Possession of a Controlled Substance Tier 2 quantity (F Felony), Possession of a Controlled Substance Tier 1 quantity (G Felony), Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (violation), Possession of a Firearm during the commission of a felony (B Felony), Carrying a concealed deadly weapon/Firearm (D Felony), and two registration violations.
Vickers was presented via video phone at Justice of the Peace Court 2 and was committed to Sussex Correctional Institute in lieu of $31,000 cash bond.
Delaware State Police are warning the public amid reports of scammers posing as State Police.
The Delaware State Police Department has been investigating multiple incidents in which victims have been receiving phone calls from individuals posing as troopers and advising they are wanted and owe bail money. These individuals are utilizing spoofed, Delaware State Police issued phone numbers.
As a reminder, the Delaware State Police will never request payment for fines, traffic tickets or bail. All these transactions are conducted by the respective court systems and never over the phone. Electronic payments are also never requested via phone for court matters.
“Spoofing” is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity. Spoofing is often used as part of an attempt to trick someone into giving away valuable personal information so it can be used in fraudulent activity or sold illegally.
The following tips can help you avoid becoming victim to a spoofing scam:
We have been talking about this scenario throughout the week about a major storm system will be developing in the Eastern half of the nation. An area of low pressure will be rapidly developing from the Gulf States and runs parallel through the Mid-Atlantic states during the morning hours on Saturday.
Phasing of the Northern Jet and the Sub-Tropical Jet will set the stages of a potential Bomb Cyclone (air pressure that drops more than 24mb’s in 24 hours) to develop. By the time this storm system moves north of New England we could be looking at some serious low pressures by Greenland.
Depending on the placement of this area of low pressure will determine if we are in the path of the powerful low level Jetstream to setup. The blend solution has the area of low pressure going right over the Delmarva region keeping those powerful winds off of our coasts. But if the low positions further west, this will allow for a short term duration of strong winds exceeding 50 mph at times.
To add more dynamics to the mix, cold air will be crashing on the northwest side of the storm which we may see a burst of snow on the backside during the evening hours. Any snow that does fall will have a extremely difficult time accumulating here on the shore. It’s a matter of how quickly can those temperatures crash on that backside of the storm. And the position of the low. If we have a further east solution like the NAM3km, then our chances are high but I have that one as my outlier as of now. I’m leaning more with the HRW-ARW with the further west solution overall.
It’s being called the largest drug bust in the state’s history. 55 individuals indicted on multiple drug and weapons charges involving law enforcement agencies in Maryland and Delaware dubbed “Operation Dawg House”.
During a press conference yesterday, Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced the charges levied against the suspects.
“In the midst of an addiction epidemic that claims more than 400 lives a year – and in which Delaware has consistently been one of the country’s three hardest-hit states – this operation saved lives,” Jennings says. “We need to help our neighbors in need get on the path to recovery, and need to hold accountable everyone who has helped fuel the addiction crisis – from the industry that sowed the seeds of the epidemic to the drug traffickers who profit off of it today. I am profoundly grateful to DSP and the team that led this investigation, and to each of our neighbors who are working to help us rebuild from the devastation of this crisis.”
The two-year investigation on the operation began in November 2020. Through the investigation, George Johnson was developed as the leader of the criminal enterprise, along with several other individuals accused of major contributors to the heroin epidemic in the state.
Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis, who was part of the multi-state investigation, says this was the largest bust he’s seen in his 38-year career.
“Large scale drug traffickers have no boundaries. Consequently, based on the collaborative efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies representing numerous jurisdictions along the east coast, we have charged these individuals with orchestrating a drug distribution network that would be the envy of any fortune 500 company. The organization had enough fentanyl and heroin to kill thousands of Marylanders.”
In total, over 330,000 bags of heroin with a street value of over $1.6 million were seized – along with 771 grams of marijuana, 5.8 of cocaine, and 10 ecstasy doses. Three stolen firearms with their serial numbers scratched off were also seized, along with $65,000 in suspected drug proceeds.
Delaware State Police Captain John Wood says the investigation began when a series of overdose deaths started. At the start 2021 alone, there were 6 deaths related to Johnson’s product.
“The successful closure of large-scale narcotics investigations would not be possible without the collaborative efforts of all involved agencies,” Worcester County Sheriff Matthew Crisafulli says in a statement. “This case closure has undoubtedly saved thousands of lives in Maryland and Delaware. I applaud all of the law enforcement agencies involved in this complex investigation. I am proud to be associated with the men and women who worked tirelessly, to unravel this enormous narcotics investigation.”
44 of the individuals, including Johnson, have been arrested – with two suspects awaiting extradition from Maryland. Warrants have been issued for 9 other. In total, 232 felony charges have been issued along with 38 misdemeanors.
UPDATE: We reached out to Delaware State Police to ask for more information on the case and where the busts occurred. They tell us that “the investigation came to a close in late November with a tactical traffic stop conducted by DSP SORT, and 5 simultaneous residential search warrants in Delaware and Maryland. The seized items came mostly from these events; however, some of the listed items were seized during the course of the investigation.”
“There were a series of smaller seizures made during the course of the investigation at various points from 09/22/21-12/03/21. Those smaller seizures were the other photographs contained in the press packet. Then there was the large seizure of 2,500 logs (2,275 grams / 2.275 kilos) of Heroin that was seized at the conclusion of the investigation on December 03, 2021. That seizure occurred in the Felton area in Kent County as the product was being transported to the Laurel area.”
This is going to be the week for heavy rain that is for sure here on Delmarva. Once again we are in the sights of another storm system coming in from the south during the morning hours of Wednesday. An area of low pressure will be developing along the southern jet stream and moving right over top of the Mid-Atlantic States. Areas in PA that saw 70 degree temperatures yesterday will now be seeing some accumulating snowfall.
Although here on the shore we will see all rain, we will get some beneficial amounts to say the least. Latest high resolution guidance showing up to a half inch of precipitation for areas north of Dover. Areas in Central Delmarva up to about an inch of rainfall. And the southern tip of the shore will likely see the greatest amounts between 1- 1.50″ before tapering off Wednesday Afternoon.
A Harrington duo were arrested on theft charges after police say they illegally transferred money out of other people’s bank accounts to multiple online finance applications.
According to the Harrington Police Department, on Friday, March 4, officers arrested 39-year-old Frederick A. Spiezio and 25-year-old Brian M. Pogats, both of Harrington, on numerous theft and attempted theft charges.
At the end of February, police say officers were contacted by the victims who reported several unauthorized transactions from their bank account after they discovered their funds were being illicitly and electronically transferred to multiple online finance applications.
During the course of the investigation, officers were able to link the online accounts to both Mr. Spiezio and Mr. Pogats. Both were taken into custody without incident.
Spiezio was charged with 3 counts Theft Under $1500 where victim is 62 years of age or older (G Felony), 3 counts Attempted Theft Under $1500 victim is 62 years of age or older (G Felony), Conspiracy 2nd Degree (G Felony), 2 counts Theft Under $1500, (A misdemeanor), and 3 Counts Attempted Theft Under $1500 (A misdemeanor).
Pogats was charged with 3 counts Attempted Theft Under $1500 victim is 62 years of age or older (G Felony), 2 counts Theft Under $1500 where victim is 62 years of age or older (G Felony), Conspiracy 2nd Degree (G Felony), 3 Counts Attempted Theft Under $1500 (A misdemeanor), and Theft Under $1500, (A misdemeanor).
Both were released on their Own Recognizance Bond pending future court appearances.
With the extremely warm temperatures on this March day here on the shore, we have a strong cold front on the move this evening. With barely any instability in place today, this storm threat is strong shear dominate. We have the chance of some storms that could reach severe limits during the evening hours today. Computer guidance has been hinting at a thin squall line to develop along the front with already very strong surface winds expected today.
Slight Risk of Severe Weather For Northern Delmarva and Northern Maryland
The biggest driver for today’s Slight Risk of Severe Weather is the very strong low level shear and steep lapse rates. With strong winds fairly close to the surface and with a strengthening low level jet to 60 knots, when that front arrives some of those stronger winds aloft will be brought down to the surface.
Anytime you see Lapse Rates greater that 7.5 in the lowest levels, that’s the perfect case scenario for a damaging wind potential. Damaging winds are really the only threat with today’s setup. Tornado threat is very low today because the wind direction throughout the atmosphere is very linear. Tornadoes need turning wind form the surface on up.
Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced Tuesday that the Division of Civil Rights & Public Trust (DCRPT) has reached a pre-indictment plea agreement with a former Dover police officer who experienced an opioid overdose in his patrol vehicle and later tested positive for fentanyl and marijuana.
“This should remind us that the addiction epidemic affects everyone,” said Attorney General Jennings. “The defendant’s conduct was obviously illegal, totally incompatible with the standards we should hold law enforcement to, and could easily have turned deadly for him or someone else – he is frankly fortunate that his fellow officers found him in time to save his life. At the same time, justice in these situations requires both accountability and compassion. The defendant’s struggle with substance abuse is a familiar story for thousands of Delawareans, and just like anyone else he has our empathy in his journey to recovery. This sentence allows him to get the help he needs while permanently separating him from a position of public trust because he can no longer be trusted.”
“When viewed through a human lens, the Dover Police Department has empathy for anyone battling the challenges associated with drug abuse and connections to treatment services were offered to our employee,” said Dover Police Chief Thomas Johnson Jr. “However; when viewed through a professional lens, this kind of behavior can never be tolerated. Not for a minute. A trust was violated. In addition to the risks to his own life, he took chances with the safety of his co-workers and members of the public that were not his to take. Through appropriate investigation, this unprofessional conduct was determined to be criminal in nature.
“Once the facts were established, it became clear that Mr. Vieira could no longer be a Police Officer. The responsibilities of the job are just too serious and the public deserves the best resources that we can provide. We have already begun to examine the factors that lead up to the overdose emergency and will evaluate them against our existing code of conduct policies and early detection mechanisms. Appropriate changes to policy and/or practice will be made at the earliest possible time.”
On November 26, 2021, officers from the Dover Police Department located Pfc. Steven Vieira, 30, near Schutte Park after dispatch repeatedly and unsuccessfully tried to reach him. Responding officers found Vieira unconscious in his patrol vehicle and showing signs of overdose.
After administering first aid and two doses of Narcan, officers escorted Vieira to Bayhealth Hospital. Upon initial belief that Vieira had experienced an accidental fentanyl exposure during his duties, Dover PD conducted a search of his vehicle and uncovered an eyeglass case containing what was determined to be oxycodone hydrochloride, a prescription opioid, and various drug paraphernalia. A subsequent blood test revealed fentanyl and cannabinoid in Vieira’s system.
Vieira pleaded guilty to Driving Under the Influence of Drugs and Official Misconduct, both Class A Misdemeanors, and was sentenced to a 12-month prison sentence suspended to 12 months Level II probation, with his probation dischargeable following drug counseling.
As part of his plea, Vieira has resigned from the Dover Police Department and surrendered all Council on Police Training (COPT) certifications, rendering him permanently ineligible for employment as a police officer. Dover PD placed Vieira on administrative leave pending its own internal investigation, notified the Department of Justice, and cooperated fully with DCRPT’s investigation. Deputy Attorneys General Mark Denney represented the State in this matter, following a DCRPT investigation led by DOJ Investigator Tim Argoe.
Delaware Technical Community College has lifted its vaccine requirement, issuing a statement Tuesday afternoon that the institution will be removing “all masking, testing, and vaccine requirements for our employees and students, effective March 2.”
The announcement comes after months outcry from concerned students, parents, and staff at the college. On Feb. 7, our Rob Petree questioned the college’s President, Dr. Mark Brainard about the policy and possibility of unvaccinated students being turned which he defended.
“As we have done from the beginning of the pandemic, we continue to make operational decisions based on COVID data and in compliance with Governor Carney’s directives and CDC guidelines,” the college stated in a press release. “In light of the Governor’s announcement yesterday, the recent updated CDC guidelines, and a significant decline in regional COVID rates, Delaware Tech will also remove all masking, testing, and vaccine requirements for our employees and students effective March 2. The most recent directives regarding self-screening, isolation, and quarantine remain in effect until further notice.”
College officials emphasized that even though they’re no longer requiring vaccinations for the general student population, a vaccination may be required by assigned clinical placement settings for nursing and allied health students into the future.
The decision by Dr. Brainard comes on the heels of a protest held right outside his office last week where several parents, students, and concerned citizens gathered to plead with the college to reverse its course and revise the policy. We heard stories for weeks from students and parents who were terrified that the policy would result in them losing their education.
“As we have said through the course of these past two years, every decision we have made has been in the best interest of our students, employees, and the entire College community,” the college stated. “Although no longer required, vaccines, masks, and distancing remain effective health strategies to combat the spread of the virus in the months ahead. We will continue to monitor health data and state and federal guidelines to manage the pandemic moving forward, always keeping the health and safety of our College community as our top priority.”
The change in course on the policy comes just a day after Governor Carney announced the State of Emergency would end.
Delaware State Police are issuing the following advisory in response to a recent phone scam involving a “spoofed phone number” in Sussex County.
Earlier this week, Delaware State Police were made aware of two incidents in which individuals received a phone call from what appeared to be from Delaware State Police Troop 5. In one incident, the victim was told they had to pay a fine on a sex offender charge and another was going to be arrested for jury duty fines.
As a reminder, Delaware State Police will never request payment for fines, traffic tickets or bail. All these transactions are conducted by the respective court systems and never over the phone. Electronic payments are also never requested via phone for court matters.
Caller ID spoofing is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity. Spoofing is often used as part of an attempt to trick someone into giving away valuable personal information so it can be used in fraudulent activity or sold illegally.
Governor John Carney on Monday announced that he will sign an order terminating the COVID-19 State of Emergency and the masking requirement in public and private K-12 schools and child care facilities effective at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1.
The announcement is consistent with new masking guidance issued on Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Masking will not be required by the State of Delaware in K-12 schools, on school buses, or in child care facilities after 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1.
The Delaware Department of Education (DOE) and the Division of Public Health (DPH) have issued updated guidance to district and school leaders to aid response efforts following the expiration of the mask requirement.
Governor Carney also announced that vaccine or testing requirements for educators and state employees will expire at 11:59 p.m. today, Monday, February 28.
The mask requirement in most State facilities will also be lifted starting on Wednesday, March 2. Additional guidance for state employees will be issued on Monday by the Department of Human Resources (DHR).
“There are a lot of reasons to be optimistic about where we’re headed,” said Governor Carney. “Over the last month, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have fallen dramatically, and we are clearly moving into a new phase of this pandemic. Today’s announcement is consistent with new guidance from the CDC. And it’s consistent with the latest thinking from Delaware’s experts at the Division of Public Health. Delawareans who want to continue wearing a mask – including children in our schools – should be supported and encouraged to do so, even as we move into this new phase. We’ll also continue to encourage all eligible Delawareans to get up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations.”
On Tuesday, the State of Emergency will be lifted. At the same time, a more narrow Public Health Emergency Order will be issued to replace a Public Health Emergency Order issued on July 12, 2021. This updated Public Health Emergency Order will allow hospitals and long-term care facilities continued flexibility to respond to cases of COVID-19.
A Bridgeville man was killed and several people were injured following a serious crash in Harrington.
According to Delaware State Police, the crash occurred around 6:53 p.m., Sunday as a 31-year-old Marydel, Maryland man was driving a Honda Civic northbound on South DuPont Hwy in the left lane approaching the intersection of Hopkins Cemetery Road.
The Civic entered the left turn lane and median crossover and then, without stopping, began crossing southbound onto South DuPont Hwy to Hopkins Cemetery Road. At the same time, a 31-year-old Salisbury, Maryland woman was driving a GMC Terrain southbound on South DuPont Hwy in the right lane approaching the intersection of Hopkins Cemetery Road.
As the Honda crossed into the path of the GMC, the front bumper of the GMC struck the Honda’s passenger side door in the right lane of South DuPont Hwy. After the collision, the GMC pushed the Honda into a stop sign and then into the parking lot of a nearby furniture store.
The 31-year-old Marydel man was flown to an area hospital where he was admitted in serious condition. Seated in the front passenger seat of the Honda was a 30-year-old Bridgeville man who sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
EMS transported the 31-year-old Salisbury woman to an area hospital where she was admitted for non-life-threatening injuries. Also in the GMC was a 59-year-old female, a 31-year-old female, a 6-year-old female, a 5-year-old female, and a 3-year-old male. All passengers were transported to an area hospital where they were treated for minor injuries and released.
The road was closed for approximately four hours for the crash investigation and cleanup.
