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Delaware State Police
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Two Immediately Arrested After Robbery / Carjacking Released- April 13, 2008 Newark- On today’s date, at approximately 7:40 a.m. the State Police dispatch center- RECOM- received a call from a 46-year-old female who claimed she was at the I-95 Service Area and had just been carjacked and kidnapped. Troopers converged on the scene and contacted the victim. The victim then did all of the things necessary to allow the police to help her. She called 911 IMMEDIATELY, obtained a good description of the suspects and provided police with their last know direction of travel. Armed with this information, RECOM provided a county wide broadcast, known as a BOLO, giving all available police agencies the information pertaining to this case. Moments later, the New Castle County Police dispatch center, told the State Police that one of their officers had just stopped the suspect vehicle on I-95 northbound at Churchmans Road. This officer had the two robbers in custody. State Police detectives were called out to handle the case. Investigators learned that shortly after 7:00 a.m. this morning, the victim arrived at the 7-Eleven on Four-Seasons Parkway and parked at a dead end next to the business (known as old South College Avenue). The victim got out of her car, went into the 7-Eleven and then returned to her vehicle. Just prior to getting into her 2007 Honda Civic, two male suspects emerged from the rear of the 7-Eleven and confronted the victim. These two subjects initially asked for a ride, and when the victim declined, one of the suspects, later identified as Robert Waldridge, 29, of Minorca Place in Townsend, grabbed the victim by the arm, implied he had a weapon and forced her into the Honda. Waldridge sat in the front passenger seat and the second suspect, later identified as Gunther Chapman, 22, of Clinton Street in Elkton, sat in the rear passenger seat. The two bandits forced the victim to drive to an ATM machine at the Wachovia Bank in Peoples Plaza. Once the money was withdrawn from the ATM, the suspects directed the victim to drive to the I-95 Service Plaza. As the victim drove into the Service Area, the suspects told the victim to stop and get out. She complied, and as the suspects pulled away with her vehicle, she called 911. The suspects allegedly were driving at a high rate of speed on I-95 northbound when a New Castle County Police Officer, in an unmarked car, pulled them over. As this officer was conducting the traffic stop, his dispatch center advised him that the car he had stopped was just stolen in a car jacking. The two suspects were taken into custody without incident. The victim’s money was recovered along with two ACME gift cards the suspects had stolen from the victim’s purse. Additionally, authorities recovered a knife from the vehicle. The two subjects were transported back to Troop 2 for processing. They were both formally charged with Carjacking (felony), Robbery 1st (felony), Kidnapping (felony) and Conspiracy 2nd (felony). Bail information was not available at the time of this release. |
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