Delaware State Police have taken into custody a 56-year-old Wilmington resident named Michael Reynolds in connection with armed robberies targeting two New Castle County convenience stores this month.
The first incident occurred on May 3, 2026, around 8:15 p.m., when law enforcement officers were called to Shore Stop at 796 South Old Baltimore Pike in Newark following reports of a robbery. According to investigators, a masked individual armed with a knife entered the store and confronted the employee. The perpetrator ordered the clerk to hand over cash from the register, which the employee did, and the suspect escaped with an unspecified sum. No one was hurt during the incident.
The following evening, May 4, 2026, at about 7:30 p.m., officers responded to another robbery call at the Shell gas station on 3001 New Castle Avenue in New Castle. Police determined that a male suspect carrying a knife confronted two employees and ordered them to give him money from the cash drawer. After the workers complied, the individual took an undetermined amount of cash and drove off in a white Ford Taurus. Again, no injuries occurred. Officers soon spotted the Ford in Wilmington and tried to conduct a traffic stop. The driver refused to pull over and initiated a short chase. While troopers temporarily lost track of the vehicle, they later discovered it abandoned close to Wilson Street and East 13th Street.
Using investigative techniques, detectives determined that Michael Reynolds was responsible for both crimes and secured an arrest warrant. Investigators also discovered that Reynolds was suspected in other cases being handled by the New Castle County Police Department and the Wilmington Police Department during the same period.
Reynolds was formally charged on May 15, 2026, while already in Wilmington Police custody. Following his arraignment at Justice of the Peace Court 11, he was sent to the Delaware Department of Correction with bail set at $420,000 cash.
The charges against Reynolds include:
- Robbery First Degree (Felony) – 3 counts
- Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony (Felony) – 3 counts
- Wearing a Disguise During the Commission of a Felony (Felony)
- Disregarding a Police Officers Signal (Felony)
- Traffic Violations
