Presented by the Director of Public Information Sergeant Richard D. Bratz

Wilmington, De.- The Delaware State Police are currently investigating a multiple vehicle crash.

The initial investigation has determined the crash occurred at approximately 10:08 a.m. this morning, Saturday, April 15, 2017, on I-295 southbound north of I-495. It has been reported that multiple vehicles are involved with unknown injuries.

As a result of the crash, the left lane and center lane of I-295 southbound are closed at this time. Commuters are asked to slow down and use alternate routes of travel.

This crash remains under investigation by the Delaware State Police. Further details will be released at the conclusion of the investigation.

Released: 041517 11:21

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Presented by the Director of Public Information Sergeant Richard D. Bratz

Kent County and Sussex County, De. – Darus L. Young, 18 of Dover, was taken into custody on Tuesday, April 11, 2017 during a traffic stop on Milford-Harrington Highway, Milford. Young was charged by the state police with Manufactures, delivers, or PWID a controlled substance,  Possession of Crack Cocaine, Possession of Heroin, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, seven counts of Robbery First Degree, seven counts of Wearing a Disguise During the Commission of a Felony, seven counts of Conspiracy Second Degree, four counts of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, two counts of Terroristic Threatening, four counts of Aggravated Menacing, three counts of Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony, and Attempted Robbery First Degree.

Darus L. Young was arraigned before Justice of the Peace Court 3 and was committed to James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in default of $1,003,500.00 cash bail.

Through investigative measures Darus L. Young was identified as the suspect in the following two armed robberies:

On January 14, 2017, Delaware State Police investigated an armed robbery of the Valero, located at 1885 Bay Road, Milford. The investigation revealed two armed black male suspects entered the store fled with an undisclosed amount of money.

On January 16, 2017 the State Police detectives investigated another robbery of the Family Dollar, located at 126 Front Street, Frederica, Delaware. Investigation revealed two armed black male suspects entered the store and fled with an undisclosed amount of money.

On April 11, 2017, members of the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force located Darus Young inside of a vehicle on Milford Harrington Highway. Young was taken in to custody without incident. At the time of his arrest Young was in possession of 1.95 grams of crack cocaine, .119 grams of heroin and drug paraphernalia.

Young also had additional robbery warrants issued for his arrest by Sussex County Superior Court. These were a result of an investigation by detectives on four additional armed robberies that occurred in February 2017 and one armed robbery investigated by Laurel Police Department.

The Delaware State Police continue the investigate these robberies. More information will be released as it becomes available.

Click to view: **Update #2 – Subject Charged** Troopers Seek Public’s Assistance in Locating Robbery Subject

Released: 041417 2131

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Presented by the Director of Public Information Sergeant Richard D. Bratz

Greenwood, De. – The Delaware State Police Kent County Drug Unit has arrested multiple suspects after the culmination of a three month investigation into the purchasing of illegal narcotics at Unity Lane, Greenwood.

This proactive initiative concluded on April 13, 2017 as members of the Kent County Drug Unit (KDU) with the assistance of the Kent County Governor’s Task Force (GTF) and the New Jersey National Guard Counterdrug Task Force responded to unit block of Unity Lane in order to conduct a search warrant in response to numerous individuals purchasing illegal narcotics in an open air style drug environment. During the drug investigation eight search warrants were obtained within the community. The ring leaders of the drug organization were identified as Frank Lovett and Jermaine Boyd.

State Police detectives with the assistance of patrol units, Special Operations Response Team (SORT), Dover Police Department, Army National Guard, Harrington Police Department, Dewey Beach Police Department and the Delaware Department of Justice assisted with the search and arrest warrants.

As a result of the search warrants, the following items were seized:

Over 101 grams of crack cocaine packaged for sale, 531 baggies of heroin (3.717 grams), 48 grams marijuana, Loaded .357 Ruger handgun which was reported stolen in 2016, Loaded 9mm Hi Point Model 995 Assault Rifle, .22 caliber handgun, Shotgun, Loaded .380 Browning handgun, ammunition and over $2,300.00 in suspected drug proceeds was also seized.

All subjects were transported to Troop 3 in Camden where they were each charged with Racketeering, Drug Dealing, Wearing a Disguise During a Felony, Conspiracy II, five counts of Possession of a Firearm by Person Prohibited, Receiving a Stolen Firearm, Tier 5 Possession, Tier 4 Possession and Tier 3 Possession.

Jermaine Boyd, 26 of Dover, was arraigned before Justice of the Peace Court 2 and committed to James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in default of $169,500.00 cash bail.

Mark Boyd, 59 of Greenwood, was arraigned before Justice of the Peace Court 2 and committed to James T. Vaughn Correctional Center on $152,000.00 cash.

Joseph Rayshawne Palmer, 25 of Greenwood, was arraigned before Justice of the Peace Court 2 and committed to James T. Vaughn Correctional Center on $152,000.00 cash bond.

Shanun Handy, 32 of Greenwood, was arraigned before Justice of the Peace Court 2 and committed to James T. Vaughn Correctional Center on $152,000.00 cash bond.

Frank R. Lovett, 29 of Harrington, was arraigned before Justice of the Peace Court 2 and committed to the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center on $89,000.00 secured bail.

During the investigation, 36 additional defendants were also charged by members of the Delaware State Police Kent County Drug Unit and the Governor’s Task Force for various drug offenses. Between the months of January to April 2017 the following were arrested as part of this active and ongoing investigation:

Stanley Spencer, 47 of Milford, was arrested for Possession of Crack Cocaine, Heroin and Drug Paraphernalia.

Joyce Chapman, 49 of Dover, was arrested for Possession of Crack Cocaine.

Frank Lovett, 29 of Greenwood, was arrested for Resisting Arrest.

David Vilone, 27 of Harrington, was arrested for Resisting Arrest, Tampering and Drug Paraphernalia.

Roxanne Higham, 47 of Townsend, was arrested for Felony DUI.

Vicki Porter, 51 of Harrington, was arrested for Possession of Crack Cocaine and Drug Paraphernalia.

Shaynee Boone, 28 of Harrington, was arrested for Possession of Crack Cocaine and Conspiracy.

Jacquelyn Schlegel, 30 of Harrington, was arrested for Possession of Crack Cocaine and Conspiracy.

Melinda Reed, 28 of Milford, was arrested for Possession of Crack Cocaine, Heroin, Drug Paraphernalia and Conspiracy.

Sarah Reed, 23 of Milford, was arrested for Possession of Crack Cocaine, Heroin, Drug Paraphernalia and Conspiracy.

Carrie Cain, 38 of Milton, was arrested for Criminal Solicitation.

Jamie Seeger, 35 of Felton, was arrested for Possession of Crack Cocaine, Conspiracy and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.

James Obyrne, 23 of Dover, was arrested for Possession of Crack Cocaine, Conspiracy and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.

Amdrea Farley, 25 of Felton, was arrested for Possession of Crack Cocaine and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.

Melissa Lindenmeier, 35 of Harrington, was arrested for Possession of Crack Cocaine, Heroin, Drug Paraphernalia and Conspiracy.

Reginald Marshall, 36 of Milford, was arrested for Possession of Crack Cocaine, Heroin, Drug Paraphernalia and Conspiracy.

Corey Comstock, 23 of Milford, was arrested for Possession of Crack Cocaine and Paraphernalia.

Larry Owens, 55 of Harrington, was arrested for Possession of Marijuana.

Douglas Coppock, 26 of Frederica, was arrested for Possession of Crack Cocaine and Paraphernalia.

Laurie Wilcutts, 37 of Frederica, was arrested for Tampering with Evidence, Conspiracy, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and traffic violations.

Ashlee Gillespie, 27 of Harrington, was arrested for Possession of Crack Cocaine, Heroin and Conspiracy.

Jamie Chrisler, 30 of Dover, was arrested for Possession of Crack Cocaine, Paraphernalia and Conspiracy.

Tina Herzog, 28 of Milford, was arrested for Possession of Crack Cocaine, Paraphernalia and Conspiracy.

Gerimino Gomez, 43 of Harrington, was arrested for Tampering and Drug Paraphernalia.

Angela Evans, 39 of Felton, was arrested for Possession of Heroin, Paraphernalia and Conspiracy.

Eric Estabrook, 39 of Frederica, was arrested for Possession of Heroin, Paraphernalia and Conspiracy.

Randal Reny, 34 of Hartly, was arrested for Possession of Marijuana.

Courtney Krebel, 38 of Harrington, was arrested for Possession of Heroin and Paraphernalia.

Bayard Spence, 27 of Houston, was arrested for Possession of Heroin and Paraphernalia.

Lilton Stevens, 40 of Harrington, was arrested for Delivery of Crack Cocaine, Possession with the Intent to Deliver Crack Cocaine and Paraphernalia.

Ryan Lefort, 25 of Harrington, was arrested for Possession of Heroin and Paraphernalia.

Jeremy Howard, 36 of Magnolia, was arrested as a local fugitive.

Katherine Leech, 31 of Magnolia was arrested as a local fugitive.

Travis Crowe, 41 of Magnolia was arrested as a local fugitive.

Ashley Henderson, 26 of Harrington, was arrested for Criminal Solicitation and Drug Paraphernalia.

Melissa Glenn, 37 of Seaford, was arrested for Criminal Solicitation and Drug Paraphernalia.

This is an active and ongoing investigation with continued proactive enforcement.

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Released: 041417 1611

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Presented by Public Information Officer, Master Corporal Jeffrey R. Hale

Claymont- Delaware State Police are investigating the robbery of a Claymont area Wawa convenience store that occurred yesterday morning.

The investigation thus far has determined that the incident occurred on Thursday, April 13, 2017 at approximately 1:20 a.m., as a male suspect entered the Wawa located at 2621 Philadelphia Pike. The suspect approached the sales counter and confronted a male sales clerk. He then displayed an unknown make and model handgun and demanded cartons of cigarettes from the employee. The clerk complied with the suspect’s demands and turned over an undisclosed amount of cigarettes to him. The suspect then exited the rear of the store and fled in an unknown direction. There were no injuries.

The suspect was described as a black male. He was 40-50 years of age, 5’09” tall with a thin build, and was last seen wearing a grey sweatshirt, black shorts, and a baseball cap. There is no further physical or clothing description available. No video surveillance pictures are available to be displayed at this time.

If anyone has any information in reference to this incident they are asked to contact the Robbery unit at Troop 2 at 302-365-8566. Information may also be provided by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333, via the internet at www.delaware.crimestoppersweb.com, or by sending an anonymous tip by text to

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274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword “DSP.”

Released: 041417 1305

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Presented by Public Information Officer, Master Corporal Jeffrey R. Hale

Claymont – Delaware State Police are currently investigating the armed robbery of a Claymont area fast food restaurant that occurred early yesterday morning.

The initial investigation has determined that the robbery happened at approximately 12:18 a.m. on Thursday, April 13, 2017, as a male suspect entered the KFC/Taco Bell Restaurant located at 601 Naamans Road. The suspect then displayed a weapon, confronted three employees, and demanded money from the safe. The employees complied with the suspect’s demands and turned over an undisclosed amount of cash to him. The suspect then exited the restaurant and was last seen fleeing in an eastbound direction on Naamans Road toward the Tri-State Mall. There were no injuries.

The suspect was described as a black male. He was approximately 6’00” tall, had a stocky build, and was last seen wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans. He also had a cloth covering his face. There is no further physical or clothing description available.

If anyone has any information in reference to this incident they are asked to contact the Robbery unit at Troop 2 at 302-365-8566. Information may also be provided by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333, via the internet at www.delaware.crimestoppersweb.com, or by sending an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword “DSP.”

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Released: 041417 1245

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Presented by Public Information Officer, Master Corporal Jeffrey R. Hale

New Castle (19720) – Delaware State Police are investigating the armed robbery of a New Castle area 7-11 that occurred early this morning.

The initial investigation has determined that the robbery occurred at approximately 12:15 a.m. this morning, Friday, April 14, 2017, as a male suspect entered the 7-11, located at 284 Christiana Road. The suspect approached the sales counter while displaying an unknown make and model handgun and confronted a female clerk. He then demanded money from the cash register. The clerk complied with the suspect’s demands and turned over an undisclosed amount of money to him. The suspect then exited the store and was last seen fleeing in an eastbound direction toward the Georgetown Apartments. The clerk was not injured.

The suspect was described as a black male. He had a thin build and was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, and had a mask covering his face. There is no further physical or clothing description available.

If anyone has any information in reference to this incident they are asked to contact the Robbery unit at Troop 2 at 302-365-8566. Information may also be provided by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333, via the internet at www.delaware.crimestoppersweb.com, or by sending an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword “DSP.”

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Released: 041417 0700

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Presented by Public Information Officer, Master Corporal Jeffrey R. Hale

Townsend- Delaware State Police are investigating a two vehicle crash in which a Smyrna man was seriously injured that occurred last night.

The initial investigation has determined that the crash occurred at approximately 7:05 p.m. on Thursday, April 13, 2017, as Thomas Baker, Jr., 34, of Smyrna, was operating a 2004  Chevrolet Trailblazer and was traveling in the left hand lane on southbound SR-1 north of New Discovery Road, Townsend.  Baker then attempted to enter into the right hand lane of SR-1, and as he did, the right side of his vehicle struck the left side rear of a 2014 Hyundai Sonata. Baker’s vehicle then veered to the left and entered the center median, where it overturned several times before coming to rest on its right hand side in the left hand lane of SR-1 northbound.

Thomas Baker, who was properly restrained at the time of the crash, was trapped in his vehicle until he could be extricated by responding EMS personnel. He was treated at the scene by New Castle County paramedics before being flown by Delaware State Police Aviation (Trooper 4) to the Christiana Hospital, where he was treated for his serious injuries. Baker was cited by troopers for Inattentive Driving and several other license and registration violations. There were no other injuries.

SR-1 northbound and southbound were closed in the area for approximately 1 hour as the crashed was investigated and cleared.

Released: 041417 0610

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Presented by the Director of Public Information Sergeant Richard D. Bratz

The Delaware State Police and municipal K9 teams throughout the state received National Certification in explosive and narcotic scent detection by the National Police Canine Association (NPCA). Both dual and single purpose K-9 Teams participated in the certification event.

The Delaware State Police K9 teams along with the New Castle County Police Department and Wilmington Police Department K9 teams all work and train to meet the certification standards established by the NPCA.  All three agencies train Law Enforcement K9 teams in the state under one certification standard for both explosive and narcotic scent detection. Certification scenarios and standards for patrol included; K9 obedience, tracking, building searches, vehicle searches and wooded area searches.

The K9 teams that participated in the 2017 NPCA certifications:

During the week of Monday, March 27, 2017, (18) K9 teams completed the patrol and explosive certifications through the National Police Canine Association.  The K9 teams consisted of (12) Delaware State Police K9 teams and 6 municipal K9 teams from Capitol Police Department, Department of Natural Resources Police, Laurel Police Department and the Delaware County Sherriff’s Office (PA).

During the week of Monday, April 3, 2017, (31) K9 teams completed the patrol and narcotics certifications through the National Police Canine Association.  The K9 teams consisted of (14) Delaware State Police K9 teams and (17) municipal K9 teams from Dover Police Department, Newark Police Department, Smyrna Police Department, Harrington Police Department, Bridgeville Police Department, Lewes Police Department, Ocean View Police Department, Havre De Grace Police Department (MD), Aberdeen Police Department (MD) and the Wicomico County Sherriff’s Office (MD).

“NPCA is a non-profit association dedicated to the training, development, and certification of law enforcement canine teams and their administrations.  NPCA strives to be the best resource for the professional canine unit. NPCA offers nationally accepted certifications throughout the year, across the United States. NPCA also provides regional and national canine training seminars. Our certifications offer realistic and attainable goals for today’s working service dog team. NPCA promotes and assists in the utilization of police service dogs in prevention and detection of crime. NPCA has Trainers, Instructors, a Standards Committee and Board of Directors  with vast canine experience in all canine related aspects. We offer street-realistic certifications in Patrol, Detection and Tracking and Trailing.”

National Police Canine Association

See attached photos.

Released: 041217 1501

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Presented by Public Information Officer, Master Corporal Gary Fournier

Magnolia – The Delaware State Police have arrested a female for vehicular assault after she struck a small child in a west Magnolia neighborhood.

The incident occurred around 3:50 p.m. Tuesday April 11, 2017 as Kenyanna S. Suarez, 30 of Magnolia, was operating a 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche northbound on Nascar Lane from Irish Hill Road when a 2-year-old male, who was riding a bicycle in the roadway, was struck by the truck.  The pickup was able to come to a controlled stop a short distance away from the impact.

The 2-year-old boy, who lives in the area, was airlifted from the scene by Delaware State Police Aviation to A.I. DuPont Hospital where he is currently admitted in serious condition.

Witness accounts to the events that took place revealed Suarez was driving at a high rate of speed when she entered into the neighborhood and was talking on her cell phone.  This occurred at a time when children were being dropped off by area school buses and parents were standing outside awaiting their arrival.

Kenyanna Suarez was transported back to Troop 3 where she was charged with Vehicular Assault 2nd, Driving While Suspended or Revoked, Failure to Have Insurance in Possession, Failure to Have License in Possession, Driving at Unreasonable Speed, and Driving While Using an Electronic Device (Cell Phone).  She was arraigned at JP2 and released on $2,150.00 unsecured bond.

Released: 041217 0935

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