Presented by Public Information Officer Master Corporal Jeffrey R. Hale 

Wilmington, DE- Delaware State Police are currently investigating the robbery of a Wilmington area gas station which occurred late last night.

The initial investigation has determined that the incident occurred last night, Thursday, June 2, 2016, at approximately 11:21 p.m., as a male suspect entered the Exxon gas station located at 5301 Concord Pike, Wilmington. The suspect then walked behind the sales counter where he confronted a male store clerk and demanded money from the cash register. The male employee, however, fled from the sales counter and retreated to the storage area of the business. The suspect, who was armed with a tire iron, then removed a cash drawer from the sales counter and fled from the store in an unknown direction. The clerk was not injured.

The suspect was described as a black male. He was 30-40 years of age, 5’08”-5’10” tall, weighed 230-250 lbs., and was last seen wearing a multi-colored shirt, dark pants, and dark sneakers. There is no further physical or clothing description available.

This incident remains under investigation by the Delaware State Police. Robbery Unit detectives are attempting to determine if the suspect was the same man who committed the robbery of the same business on Wednesday, June 1, 2016.

If anyone has any information in reference to this incident they are asked to contact the Robbery Unit at Troop 2 at 302-365-8655. 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.”

Released: 060316 1500

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

*Traffic Advisory*

 Milton, DE- Delaware State Police are currently investigating a motor vehicle crash involving a motorcycle that occurred this afternoon east of Milton, De.

The initial investigation has determined the crash occurred at approximately 1:25 p.m. today, Friday, June 3, 2016, on SR 1 Coastal Highway in the area of SR 5 Union Street Extended involving a single vehicle and a motorcycle.

The northbound lanes of SR1 and one lane of SR 1 southbound in the area of the crash are closed at this time. Commuters are asked to use caution and to find alternate means of travel around the scene.

More details of the crash will be released at the conclusion of the investigation.

Released: 060316 1351

Presented by Public Information Officer Master Corporal Gary Fournier

Farmington, DE- Delaware State Police have arrested a Farmington man with Assault after he struck a Division of Family Services (DFS) worker with his car.

The investigation has determined that the incident occurred at approximately 2:50 p.m., Wednesday June 1, 2016, when a 41-year-old female, employed as a case worker with DFS, was conducting a follow-up on an investigation at a residence in the 1000 block of Staytonville Road. As the DFS employee was standing in the yard talking to an adult female that resides at the residence, Wayne R. Nichols, 67, returned to the house in his car and began to drive toward where the two were standing.  The case worker attempted to avoid being hit by jumping out of the way, but was unsuccessful and was struck by the vehicle’s front bumper.  The female victim then ran from the yard and sought refuge in her vehicle when Nichols began to drive directly at her again.  This time, he stopped abruptly at her driver’s side door without striking the car.  She was then able to flee in her vehicle to a nearby house where she called 9-1-1.

Wayne Nichols was taken into custody without further incident by arriving troopers and transported back to Troop 3 in Camden. He was charged with Assault 2^nd and Reckless Endangering 1^st and arraigned at JP7 before being committed to James T. Vaughn Correctional Center on $4,000.00 secured bond.

Any questions regarding the investigation by DFS should be directed to their Public Information Officer.

Released: 060316 1235

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Presented by Public Information Officer Master Corporal Gary E. Fournier

Delaware – The 30^th ANNUAL STATEWIDE LAW ENFORCEMENT TORCH RUN FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS involving over 500 Law Enforcement Officers and spanning 160 miles will be held between Wednesday, June 8^th and Friday, June 10^th.  The 2016 event is the 30th annual Torch Run, and in its history, Delaware Law Enforcement will have raised over $6 million.

Special Olympics Delaware provides a year-round program of quality sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and/or cognitive delays. A family of over 4,000 volunteers makes this program possible for the more than 3,700 athletes who compete in Special Olympics Delaware. The organization builds sports skills, confidence, strength, motivation and self-esteem … not just for the athletes, but for everyone involved.

This year’s Torch Run will be a three-day event, starting in Rehoboth Beach on Wednesday, June 8^th at 5:00 p.m.  Long-time supporters of the Torch Run may remember the Bike Prologue.  After a decade-long absence, it returns as part of the Torch Run’s 30th Anniversary.  The Bike Prologue is open to everyone and all are encouraged to participate.  Live music by 33 1/3 will lead the gala Torch Run sendoff from the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand at 7:00 p.m. On Thursday, June 9^th the Torch will start at Lewes (6:30 a.m., Troop 7), Georgetown (7:00 a.m., The Circle) and Delmar (6:00 a.m., Rt.13 and Rt.54) and will travel to Milford, Harrington, and Dover where a brief stop will be held at Legislative Hall at 2:00 p.m., and then continue on to Smyrna and Odessa.  The event continues on Friday, June 10^th from Troop 9 at 6:00 a.m., with the Torch proceeding to the Wilmington Police Headquarters in Wilmington for a 9:45 a.m. celebration.  The event culminates with a final leg into the University of Delaware Bob Carpenter Center for the official opening of the 2016 Summer Games where the Special Olympics Flame of Hope will be delivered.

Information about the event and maps of the run can be found by clicking on the attached link: http://www.sode.org/fundraisers/law-enforcement-torch-run.

To learn more about the Bike Prologue and to register, please click on this link: http://www.sode.org/bike-prologue/.

Released: 060316 1105

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Presented by Public Information Officer Master Corporal Jeffrey R. Hale 

New Castle County- Delaware State Police Robbery Unit detectives are currently investigating the robberies of a pair of area title loan businesses that occurred in Wilmington and New Castle late last month.

The first incident occurred on Monday, May 23, 2016, at approximately 7:45 p.m., as a male suspect entered the Northeast Title Loans located at 2900 Concord Pike, Wilmington. The suspect, who was armed with an unknown make and model handgun, confronted a male employee of the business. He then demanded money from the cash registers, as well as the keys to the employee’s car. The employee complied with the suspect’s demands and turned over an undisclosed amount of money to him as well as the keys to his 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The suspect then exited the business and fled from the parking lot in the victim’s car.  The victim was not injured. Troopers were able to locate the victim’s unoccupied car approximately 3 hours later in the parking lot of the St. Mary Magdalen Church located at 7 Sharpley Road, Wilmington.

The suspect was described as a black male 20-30 years of age. He was 5’06”-5’08” tall, weighed 180-200 lbs., and was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black jeans, and grey sneakers. There is no further physical or clothing description available.

The second incident occurred at approximately 4:15 p.m. on Friday, May 27, 2016, as three male suspects entered the Loan Max, located at 1517 N. DuPont Highway, New Castle. All three suspects were armed with unknown make and model handguns. They then confronted three employees of the business and demanded money from the registers as well as the employee’s cell phones. All three employees complied with the suspect’s demands and turned over their cell phones as well as an undisclosed amount of money to them. The suspects then fled in an unknown direction. There were no injuries.

All three suspects were described as black males 25-35 years of age. Two of the suspect’s were 5’07”-5’11” tall, weighed 165-185 lbs., and were last seen wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans. The third suspect weighed 185-205 lbs., and was last seen wearing a white t-shirt and dark grey sweatpants. There is no further physical or clothing description available.

Both of these incidents remain under investigation by the Delaware State Police. Robbery Unit detectives do not believe that they are related however. No video surveillance photos are available to be released 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 302-365-8655. 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.”

Released: 060216 2115

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Presented by Public Information Officer Master Corporal Jeffrey R. Hale 

Wilmington, DE- Delaware State Police are investigating the attempted armed robbery of a Wilmington area gas station that occurred early yesterday morning.

The initial investigation has determined that the incident occurred on Wednesday, June 1, 2016, at approximately 1:54 a.m., as a male suspect entered the Valero gas station located at 1327 McKennan’s Church Road, Wilmington. The suspect approached a male clerk who was standing behind the sales counter and demanded money and cigarettes from him. The clerk refused to comply with the suspect’s demands. The suspect then implied that he was armed and again demanded money and cigarettes. Again the clerk refused. It was at this time that the suspect attempted to remove a cash register from the sales counter. A struggle then ensued between the clerk and the suspect. The suspect then exited the business without obtaining any money or cigarettes. He was last seen entering a red unknown make and model vehicle and fleeing from the parking lot in an unknown direction. The store employee suffered minor injuries during the struggle. He refused treatment at the scene.

The suspect was described as a black male. He was 5’10”-6’00” tall, weighed 230-250 lbs, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, dark shorts, dark sneakers, and a baseball cap. There is no further physical or clothing description available. No video surveillance photos are available to be released 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 302-365-8655. 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.”

Released: 060216 0730

Presented by Public Information Officer Master Corporal Gary Fournier

Dover, DE- Delaware State Police Detectives have arrested a Magnolia man in connection with numerous thefts from vehicles that occurred in developments off South State Street and South Old Mill Road .

Troopers began their investigation on Saturday May 28, 2016, after numerous incidents of car break-ins were being reported in the Stone Ridge Development and Bradys Lane, south of Dover. In most of the incidents, the vehicles were left unlocked and the suspect removed various items of cash and personal belongings before fleeing the area.

Detectives from Troop 3 received images from a video surveillance camera located at a residence in the area of the incidents and that photo along with information surrounding the crimes was sent out through the social media platforms of Facebook and Nextdoor. Within a few hours, an anonymous tip was received from a Facebook user identifying the subject depicted in the photo as Antonio Powell, 27 of Magnolia.

Detectives began searching for Powell in the Magnolia area and observed him traveling as a passenger in a vehicle leaving a residence on Walnut Shade Road. Upon conducting a traffic stop on the vehicle, Powell provided false information to the detective who had already arrested him in the beginning of May for thefts from vehicles in the Rising Sun area.

Antonio Powell was subsequently taken into custody without incident and transported back to Troop 3 in Camden. He was charged with nine counts of Theft under $1500, four counts of Attempted Theft under $1500, twelve counts of Criminal Trespass 3^rd, and Criminal Impersonation.  He was arraigned at JP2 and committed to James T. Vaughn Correctional Center on $9,100.00 cash bond.

Troopers are continuing their investigation into these incidents and additional charges may be forthcoming.

The Delaware State Police want to remind people to utilize the following tips:

• Lock your car doors and roll up you windows
• Do not leave valuables inside your vehicle
• Leave outdoor lights on in the driveway or have security lighting installed
• Report any suspicious activity to 9-1-1 

  Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/DSPNewsroom/ or Twitter at https://twitter.com/DEStatePolice.  To find out more about how to get your community involved in the Nextdoor application, please click on the following link: https://nextdoor.com/.

Released: 060116 1215

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Presented by Public Information Officer Master Corporal Gary E. Fournier

P.O. Box 430 | Dover, DE 19903 | Cell: 302.535.3706 | Gary.Fournier@delaware.gov

Felton, DE – Troopers are investigating a robbery of the Canterbury Shore Stop that occurred early this morning.

The incident occurred around 2:29 a.m. this morning, Wednesday June 1, 2016, when a male suspect entered the convenience store located at 8953 South DuPont Highway. He approached the male employee at the counter with a dark colored jacket draped over his arm and demanded cash.  The clerk complied and turned over an undisclosed amount of currency.  The male then fled the business and entered a tan or gold pickup truck and drove east on Irish Hill Road.  The male employee was uninjured in this incident.

The suspect was described as a white male, 5’05”-5’07” tall, wearing a light blue baseball hat, white shirt, khaki shorts, black sneakers, and possibly armed with an unknown type weapon concealed under a black jacket. He may be driving a tan or gold in color Chevrolet S10 pickup truck with unknown registration.  (Surveillance photos attached)

If anyone has any information in reference to this incident they are asked to contact Detective J. Dear at 302-698-8540. 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.”

Released: 060116 0900

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