Delaware State Police

Superintendent Colonel Melissa Zebley

State Police Detectives Arrest Lewes Man for Multiple Felony Thefts

Date Posted: Thursday, July 18th, 2024

Delaware State Police arrested 31-year-old William Rodenbaugh of Lewes, Delaware, for multiple felony thefts from vehicles that occurred over the last week in the Lewes area.

Between July 8, 2024, and July 17, 2024, troopers investigated multiple thefts and trespassing of a similar nature in Angola and Lewes area. In each of the incidents, a white male suspect trespassed onto residential properties, where he went through unsecured vehicles and stole money and property. Detectives identified the suspect responsible for the thefts as William Rodenbaugh and obtained warrants for his arrest. Detectives were familiar with Rodenbaugh as part of an ongoing investigation of thefts and attempted thefts from vehicles in the Lewes area.

On July 17, 2024, at approximately 4:40 a.m., a trooper on patrol in the Henlopen Landing neighborhood in Lewes, saw a man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and carrying a backpack walking through the neighborhood. The trooper recognized the man as Rodenbaugh from previous investigations and attempted to contact him. Before the trooper could contact him, Rodenbaugh ran away, but was arrested a short time later following a foot chase.

Rodenbaugh was taken to Troop 7 where he was charged with the crimes listed below, arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 2 and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on a $1,500 secured bond.