Delaware State Police

Superintendent Colonel Melissa Zebley

Troopers Arrest Man for DUI Following Pursuit

Date Posted: Saturday, July 15th, 2023

Updated July 16, 2023|7:09 p.m. EDT

Delaware State Police have arrested 27-year-old Brian Holben, of Greenwood, for DUI and other related offenses following a pursuit late last night.

On July 14, 2023, at approximately 11:56 p.m., a trooper was driving westbound on Adams Road in Greenwood when a Chevrolet Suburban, traveling in the opposite direction, crossed into the trooper’s lane of travel. To avoid a collision, the trooper swerved to the right and made a U-turn to follow the vehicle. The trooper, who was driving a marked Tahoe, turned on the emergency lights and sirens to initiate a traffic stop. However, the driver, later identified as Brian Holben, ignored the trooper’s attempt to pull him over and turned south on Sussex Highway without signaling or stopping at the stop sign. The Suburban then made a U-turn and began traveling northbound on Sussex Highway at a high rate of speed. The Suburban continued northbound on Sussex Highway, swerving between the travel lanes and the roadway’s shoulder. It eventually turned right onto Marsh Branch Road and left onto Woodyard Road without signaling or stopping at the stop sign. The Suburban then turned right on Staytonville Road and left onto Memory Road, again without signaling or stopping at the stop sign. It finally entered a private driveway at the 9000 block of Memory Road and collided with agricultural wire fencing. Holben fled the vehicle and was apprehended a short distance away. While apprehending Holben, the trooper smelled an odor of alcohol coming from Holben’s breath and observed other signs of impairment. Drug paraphernalia was also discovered during a search of the Suburban.

Holben was transported to Troop 5, where he was charged with the following crimes:

Criminal Mischief $5000 Or More Damage Property (Felony)
Disregarding a Police Officer Signal (Felony)
Resisting Arrest
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia- 2 counts
Criminal Trespass- 2 counts
DUI and other traffic-related offenses

Holben was arraigned by the Justice of the Peace Court # 3 and committed to the Sussex Correctional Institution on a $6500 secured bond.

On July 15, 2023, at approximately 8:02 a.m., troopers responded to Sussex Highway and All-Span Drive regarding a suspicious package. When troopers arrived on scene, they observed a safe containing the following items:

Approximately 13.09 grams of methamphetamine
Approximately 7.5 grams of crack
79 baggies containing approximately .553 grams of suspected heroin
6 Suboxone strips
5 Alprazolam pills
Drug paraphernalia

A review of video footage revealed that Holben had thrown the safe from his vehicle during the pursuit on July 14, 2023. Holben, who is currently in Department of Correction’s custody (DOC), was charged with the following crimes: