Delaware State Police

Superintendent Colonel William D. Crotty

Update – Suspect Arrested State Police Investigate Robbery at Newark Royal Farms

Date Posted: Thursday, June 19th, 2025

The Delaware State Police arrested 29-year-old Cornell Rawlings of Elkton, Maryland, for an armed robbery that occurred in June last year at a Royal Farms in Newark.

On June 16, 2024, at approximately 3:08 a.m., troopers responded to a report of an armed robbery at Royal Farms, located at 2808 Pulaski Highway in Newark. The preliminary investigation revealed two employees were in the back office when they noticed the store’s camera system had stopped working. Shortly after, one of the employees heard someone enter the store and observed the individual standing at one of the registers as they exited the back office. The unidentified suspect then displayed a firearm and demanded money. As the second employee appeared from the back office, they saw the suspect pointing the gun at the first employee. Following the suspect’s orders, the second employee got on the ground. The first employee then handed over an undisclosed amount of cash to the suspect, who subsequently fled the scene.

Through investigative means, Troop 2 Criminal Investigations Detectives identified Cornell Rawlings as the suspect responsible for the robbery, and obtained a warrant for his arrest. On June 18, 2025, Rawlings was extradited from Maryland, and taken to Troop 2, where he was charged with the crimes listed below, arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 2, and committed to Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on a $152,000 cash bond.