Crime is everywhere, are you prepared?
This section is dedicated to community awareness. We will provide you with real examples of crime throughout the state on a weekly basis. Ask yourself when reading these scenarios, could this have been me? The answer is yes! It is imperative to remember that no matter where you live or who you are crime can affect you! The only way to affectively combat crime is through awareness and education! The goal of TrinTac USA is to ensure proper training and education to ensure you are not the next victim! Video: Click Here, Criminals for Gun Control: A Must Watch!
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WOMEN ASSAULTED IN FRONT OF HOME: New Castle County police say a woman was hit over the head and robbed in front of her home as returned from work. Police say the woman parked her car in front of her home on Troy Ave near Newport, around 2 a.m. today when she was approached by a man pointing a brown paper bag at her, which she believed to contain a gun. Police say he hit her on the head with the object, knocking her down, then fled to a car parked on Rochelle Ave with her purse and other items
OFFICE WORKER ROBBED: A bandit struck a worker in the back of the head Friday and made off with cash at a financial company outside Wilmington, state police said. The thief implied he had a gun and demanded cash about 5:45 p.m. at Muncie Insurance and Financial Services in the 4400 block of N. Market St., said police Cpl. Thomas Guarini. When the employee began to comply, the bandit struck him, took cash and ran. The worker did not require medical care. The thief is about 5 feet 8 inches and 180 pounds. Call police at 834-2630, ext. 6 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 with information.
STABBING: A 54-year-old Dover man is charged with stabbing another man during an argument Saturday. Gerald E. Bowers Jr. of the 100 block of N.Queen Street stabbed the 44-year-old victim in the leg about 1:30 a.m. and fled, said Dover police Lt. Robert Scott. He later called police, told them what happened and was arrested. The victim declined medical care. Bowers was charged with assault and another offense and is in Vaughn Correctional Center on $7,500 bail.
HOME INVADERS SOUGHT: State police are seeking help finding three men who broke into a Concord Township home about 5:10 p.m. Jan. 17, bound the residents and made off with cash and credit cards. They confronted a female guest with a shotgun in the bedroom of the Ivy Mills Road home, got the male occupant out of the shower and bound their hands and feet with duct tape. The bandits fled in a red Mercury Sable or Ford Taurus and used the credit cards at stores in the tri-state area, said state Trooper John O'Donnell. Call O'Donnell at (484) 840-1039 with information.
RADIO SHACK ROBBED: A bandit made off with electronics equipment Friday at the Radio Shack in Prices Corner, state police said. He requested several items about 5:30 p.m. from a clerk in the store in the 3200 block of Kirkwood Hwy, said state police Cpl. Thomas Guarini. When the clerk brought them from the back, the thief grabbed the items and ran. The clerk was not injured. The bandit is unshaven, 20 to 25, about 6 feet, 2 inches and 200 pounds. He was wearing blue jeans and a black jacket.
WEAPONS, DRUG CHARGES: A 23-year-old man was taken into custody Wednesday after New Castle County police found him carrying a quarter-ounce of marijuana during a traffic stop. Police stopped a Mazda Protege for failing to signal a turn and failing to stop at a stop sign at 9 p.m. Wednesday. After officers identified the driver and her passenger, Jeffery Radcliffe, of New Castle, Radcliffe was asked to get out of the car. When Radcliffe refused, officers removed him from the car. He was holding a quarter-ounce of marijuana, 30 Xanax pills and $1,435 in suspected drug money. After getting a search warrant, police found guns, more pills, drug paraphernalia and cash in his home. Radcliffe was charged with three counts of possession of a firearm by a person prohibited, two counts of possession with the intent to deliver drugs, maintaining a dwelling for keeping drugs, maintaining a vehicle for keeping drugs, and resisting arrest. He was committed to Young Correctional Institution.
ATTEMPTED CAR JACKING INVOLVING KIDS: A 31-year-old Dover man was charged with attempted carjacking and other offenses after he allegedly entered a vehicle with two children inside and was chased out by their mother, police said. Sylvon Hemingway, of the 100 block of Beth Place, was also charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, two counts of resisting arrest, offensive touching and as a fugitive from Maryland on drug and traffic charges. He was committed to the Vaughn Correctional Institution in lieu of $6,500 secured bond. The incident happened at about 5 p.m. Sunday outside a Home Depot store on N. DuPont Hwy in Dover, said city police spokesman Lt. Tim Stump. Hemingway allegedly entered the vehicle, in which a 13-year-old and a 1-year-old were seated while their mother ran into the store. When their mother exited the store and saw Hemingway in the car, she ordered him out, and he complied. Hemingway allegedly resisted arrest as a nearby police officer, with the assistance of a bystander, took him into custody, and again resisted as he was being placed in a cell at the Dover police department, Stump said.
STORE ROBBERY: An armed bandit held up the Shore Stop on S. DuPont Hwy in the Felton area about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, state police Cpl. Thomas Guarini said. An unshaven man in his 20s took something from the refrigerator before heading to the counter. He pulled what looked like a black semiautomatic handgun, demanded money and ran out. He is about 145 pounds and was wearing a black baseball cap, black and gray hooded sweat shirt with 32 on the upper right and a logo on the upper left, blue jeans and dark shoes. Call detectives at 697-4454, ext. 307 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 with information.
HOME INVASION: Dover police are investigating a home invasion that happened about 9:15 p.m. Wednesday in the first block of Willis Road. A heavily built man in a black ski mask entered the woman's home and demanded money, police Lt. Tim Stump said. She was able to get out and call 911 from a neighbor's house. The bandit ran off with an undisclosed amount of cash.
100 BURGLARY COUNTS: Three people, including a juvenile, were charged Tuesday with more than 100 counts of burglary and other offenses stemming from a rash of break-ins in Kent County. Patrick L. Countryman, 21, and Sean N. Cornwell, 18, both of Harrington, and a 16-year-old from Milford were responsible for a five-month burglary spree in Camden and Harrington that lasted through February, police said. The suspects mainly broke into sheds and vehicles, stealing power tools, money, GPS systems, sunglasses, iPods and DVDs. They have been linked to 40 robberies. Countryman and Cornwell were charged with 166 offenses ranging from burglary to theft. Countryman is being held at Vaughn Correction Center in lieu of $180,000 bail. Cornwell is in Sussex Correctional Institution in lieu of $28,000 bail. The 16-year-old, who was in custody on an unrelated incident, was charged with 144 offenses and is in Stevenson House Detention Center.
ROBBER SOUGHT: State police released images of a suspect who robbed a Claymont cellular phone store. The robbery happened Feb. 24 at Cricket Wireless at 2815 Philadelphia Pike. About 6:40 p.m. a 16- to- 18-year-old suspect entered the store with his face covered, brandishing a handgun and demanding money. Call 834-2630, ext. 6, or Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 with information
ATTACKED IN HER HOME: The public is being asked to help find attempted-murder suspect Maurice Antonio Handy Jr., 20, after a Seaford-area attack. Handy, known to frequent Dover, Seaford and Federalsburg, Md., allegedly tried to kill a woman about 1:30 a.m. Friday at her home in Mobile Gardens, Seaford, Delaware State Police Senior Cpl. Jeff Whitmarsh said. The 30-year-old victim sought medical treatment at Nanticoke Hospital and told police Handy broke into her house, hit her, tried to strangle her and took the phone when she tried to call 911. She kept screaming and Handy eventually fled. Handy earlier stole credit cards and cash from her, but when he called to apologize, she told him to leave her alone. He also is wanted in other cases on charges of theft and burglary. To offer tips on Handy's whereabouts call 911, Troop 4 at 856-5850, ext. 224, or Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333.
BANK ROBBERY: A WSFS Bank in the Dover Mart Shopping Center in the 200 block of S. Du Pont Highway was robbed about 5 p.m. Friday, police said. The bandit handed a teller a note demanding cash and fled with an undisclosed amount, Dover police Lt. Daniel McKeown said. He is in his mid-30s, is 6-feet tall and was wearing a dark gray wool hat, black leather coat, tan pants, black wool gloves and glasses. Call police at 736-7111 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 with information.
TROOPERS FIRE SHOTS DURING ROBBERY: Four men were arrested today following an armed robbery in Hockessin and chase that ended with the suspects’ capture. The incident began about 6:30 a.m. at the Shell gas station at 7441 Lancaster Pike, where one of the bandits fired a gun in the convenience store during a holdup, state police spokesman Senior Cpl. Jeff Whitmarsh said. The bandits drove off in a dark-colored Acura south on Lancaster Pike and were spotted by a state police dispatcher on his way home after finishing up a shift. The off-duty dispatcher called the suspects’ location into on-duty dispatchers, who radioed the information to police patrol units. State and New Castle County officers converged on the area and set up a perimeter. Whitmarsh said a trooper saw the car and trailed it to telegraph road and Old Capitol Trail, where the two cars came to a stop. During this interaction, the trooper fired his gun in the direction of the car, missing the occupants. The car then took off west on Old Capitol Trail and became stuck in the snow at the entrance to Murray Manor I Mobile Home Community, where the foursome bailed out of the car and ran off. They were quickly captured and taken to Troop 2 in Glasgow for questioning, Whitmarsh said. Additional information will be released when charges are filed.
HOME BURGLARIZED: A 51-year-old Millsboro man was arrested Monday for burglarizing a home east of the town, police said. Bruce E. Revel, of the 26000 block of Old Landing Road, was charged with burglary and two other offenses and released on $3,500 bail. Troopers were called to the 28000 block of Sloop Ave. in the Long Neck area about 12:25 a.m. The resident told police that a two-tone Chevy pickup pulled out of his driveway, said state police Master Sgt. Bruce Harris. Following the pickup a short distance behind, the victim spotted some of his property in its bed. After losing sight of the truck, the victim returned home where he found an air conditioner, lawn mower and copper tubing missing. State troopers later arrested Revel at his home.
ROBBERY ARRESTS: Two Wilmington men and a Maryland man have been arrested for a series of robberies in Delaware, police said. The robberies, which date to Jan. 3, were in Bear, Newark, Wilmington, Claymont and New Castle. On Wednesday, a Delaware state trooper saw a man run from a Shell gas station at 3932 Concord Pike near Wilmington shortly before 7:30 p.m. The trooper caught the suspect, Marvin J. Poore, 19, of Wilmington. He was carrying a gun and money, police said. Two other men, Blake R. Marsh, 21, of Wilmington and Jeffrey M. Moore, 22, of Elkton were found later in what police described as a getaway car. They have been linked to 11 robberies. Newark police have charged the suspects for two robberies at a Dunkin' Donuts at 1142 Elkton Road. New Castle County police are investigating. All three were charged with robbery, weapons and conspiracy counts.
DEADLY WEAPON CHARGES: A Bear man stopped for a traffic violation Tuesday night was charged with carrying a concealed deadly weapon and other offenses after officers found a loaded handgun in his car. Daniel Brown Jr., 41, of the first block of Lisa Drive, was stopped about 8 p.m. after officers saw his Chevrolet Monte Carlo run a red light near the Iron Hill Apartments. When officers pulled Brown over, they saw drug paraphernalia in his car and found a loaded .357-caliber handgun under a seat, New Castle County Police Senior Cpl. Trinidad Navarro said. Brown is prohibited from owning a weapon because of a previous conviction and was being held in Young Correctional Institution on $20,500
HOMEOWNER SHOT DURING HOME INVASION: One resident was shot when armed robbers forced their way into a home north of Greenwood, state police said. The incident happened about 12:20 a.m. Monday in the 23000 block of S. Du Pont Highway (U.S. 13). A 51-year-old woman resident heard a loud noise at the front door and hid while trying to call 911. After the woman hung up, one of the robbers found her and dragged her by the hair to the living room area and tied her up with a phone cord. The robbers then found a 34-year-old man in his bedroom, demanded money and then shot him a number of times in the leg and lower extremities, state police spokesman Cpl. Bruce Harris said. The suspects fled. Police are still trying to determine what was taken from the home. The 34-year-old man was taken to Christiana Hospital in Stanton, where he was listed in stable condition, Harris said. The woman did not require hospitalization. One suspect was described as 5’10” with average build, and wearing a blue jump suit and mask. He carried a handgun. Another was 5’07” with stocky or plump build and also with a handgun. Police said the third robber was a man who waited outside but they had no detailed description. Police asked anyone with information on the robbers to call (302) 697-4454 ext. 313 and 314 or Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 or www.tipsubmit.com. Callers may remain anonymous. Harris said investigators do not believe this robbery is related to another home invasion several hours earlier in the Dover area.
HOME INVASION: State police were investigating a home invasion outside Dover that left one resident injured about 7:35 p.m. Sunday in the 100 block of S. Governors Blvd. in the Capitol Park area. Two men -- one age 20 and the other 23 -- were at home when they heard a knock on the door. Two men forced their way inside, showed two handguns and demanded money. One struck the 23-year-old with a gun, cutting the left side of his head. The 20-year-old was confronted by the other gunman but was not injured. The robbers escaped with cash, computer game equipment and two cell phones. Both thieves were described as about 5 feet, 7 inches and 150 to 170 pounds. Both wore black clothing, jeans, heavy winter jackets and masks. Call 697-4454 ext. 313 or 314, or Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 or tipsubmit.com with information. Police do not believe this robbery is connected to a home invasion near Greenwood that occurred several hours later.
ARMED ROBBERY AT FRIENDLY'S EMPLOYEES ORDER TO FREEZER An armed robber held up four employees of Friendly’s restaurant at 1115 South College Ave in Newark on Sunday, police said today. At 11:30 p.m., after the restaurant had closed for the night, an employee was transporting trash to an outside trash bin when he was approached by a man who demanded entrance to the restaurant. The suspect was taken into the office, where he ordered all four employees to give him money. He also ordered them to enter and remain in the restaurant’s freezer. Once they were confident the suspect had left, they let themselves out of the freezer and called police. None were injured. The suspect appeared to be a light-skinned male with an average build. He looked to be between 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-10 with a weight between 160 and 180 pounds. He was wearing dark pants and a black jacket. The victims include a 21-year-old male, 22-year-old female, a 37-year-old male and a 46-year-old female. None were injured. Anyone with information about this crime is asked to contact Det. Greg D'Elia at 366-7110 ext. 132 or at Greg.Delia@cj.state.de.us. Information can also be anonymously reported to Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333, where a reward may be available. Or text 302NPD and your tip to TIP411 (847411).
TEEN CHARGED: Two teens were arrested Friday after breaking into an 80-year-old woman's home, police said. The intruders entered the home in the Meadow community near Delaware Park by cutting a window screen, said Senior Cpl. Trinidad Navarro of New Castle County police. The victim called 911. The boys were charged with burglary and other offenses. Harry Collins, 18, of Wilmington, was released on $4,100 bail. A 17-year-old was being held in the New Castle County Detention Center on $5,600 bail.
GAS STATION HOLDUP: A knife-wielding bandit robbed the BP gas station in the 1900 block of Pulaski Highway in Bear about 6:15 p.m. Friday. He had his face covered with a bandanna, demanded cash and fled, said state police Senior Cpl. Jeff Whitmarsh. He is about 6 feet tall and was wearing black jeans with white rear pockets, light-colored shoes and a black hooded sweat shirt. Call police at 834-2630, ext. 6, or Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 with information.
STRONG-ARM ROBBERY: State police are investigating a Sunday night robbery in the parking lot of a Bear-area shopping center. A 20-year-old man was held up about 6:45 p.m. in the parking lot of the Salem Village Shopping Center after using the ATM machine inside the Wawa Food Market to withdraw money, said state police spokesman Senior Cpl. Jeff Whitmarsh. The victim said he was confronted by three men in hooded sweat shirts who pushed him up against his car, rifled his pockets and took the money, Whitmarsh said. The victim was not injured. The robbers ran toward Christiana High School. Police ask anyone with information on this incident to call detectives at 834-2630, ext. 6, or Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333.
RESTAURANT ROBBED: A clerk at a Claymont-area Chinese restaurant was robbed at gunpoint Sunday night. State police are searching for two men, one armed with a gun. The incident occurred about 5:15 p.m. at the Wah Yuan Restaurant, at 2705 Philadelphia Pike, said Senior Cpl. Jeff Whitmarsh, of the Delaware State Police. Two men with their faces covered walked into the restaurant and demanded money from the clerk. One had a handgun. The clerk handed over an undisclosed amount of cash and the bandits fled. Whitmarsh said no customers were in the restaurant at the time of the holdup. Police are asking anyone with information on the robbery to call Troop 2 detectives at 834-2630, ext. 6, or Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333.
ROBBER HIT BY CAR WHILE FLEEING! State Police are investigating a crash on I-95 early Saturday that killed a 26-year old man who was fleeing a robbery scene on foot. The victim, whose identity has not been released by police, had been involved in a robbery on South Chapel Street near Newark along with two other occupants of the vehicle, police Sgt. Walter Newton said. As the suspects fled, the car got a a flat tire, Newton said, but they continued to drive until abandoning it on the shoulder of the northbound lanes of I-95 just north of Del. 896. The three occupants got out of the vehicle about 2:20 a.m. and crossed the northbound lanes. While crossing the southbound lanes, police said, the 26-year-old was struck by a 1997 Chevrolet Tahoe driven by Marcus A. Burch, 26, of Wilmington. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. Burch, who has not been charged, was wearing his seat belt.
SHOOTING SUSPECT: A New Castle-area man is accused of shooting another man about 9:35 p.m. Friday during an attempted robbery in Collins Park. Anthony Ricchiuti, 19, of the first block of Bunker Hill Road, and another male approached the 19-year-old victim and his friends, said New Castle County police Senior Cpl. Trinidad Navarro. Ricchiuti shot the victim twice before running away empty-handed. The victim underwent surgery for two upper-body wounds at Christiana Hospital. He was in stable condition. Ricchiuti was arrested without incident at his home. The identity of the other suspect is not known. Call Detective Steve Legenstein at 395-8110 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 with information.
WOMAN ROBBED: State police are investigating a robbery that happened outside a home in the 30000 block of Vine St. in Bethel. A 19-year-old woman was getting into her car when she was confronted by a bandit who threatened her and demanded money. He ran after obtaining an undisclosed amount of money. He is described as about 6 feet tall, 175 to 195 pounds and wearing a black hooded sweat shirt and sweat pants and carrying a folding knife. Call Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 with information.
ASSAILANT SOUGHT: New Castle County police are investigating a "possible attempted abduction" of a pregnant woman that took place on New Year's Eve between 7 and 8 p.m. A 20-year-old woman said she was walking on Wellington Drive in the Wellington Woods development south toward U.S. 40 in Bear, Cpl. Trinidad Navarro said. The woman said a light-colored subcompact car drove toward her in the north lane and stopped. The man driving asked if she needed a ride. She continued walking and the man drove away. A short time later, she was grabbed from behind by a man who tried to drag her across the road. When passing cars approached, the man let her go, got into his car and drove away. The woman, who was not hurt, called 911. Call Detective Michael Zielinski at 395-8127 or 395-8110 with information, contact Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333.
HOME INVADERS SOUGHT: State police are looking for five men who invaded a Millsboro home Wednesday night. The men knocked on the door of a home on Honeysuckle Knoll around 8:25 p.m. When a 50-year-old woman who was spending the night at the home answered the door, the men pushed her to the ground and rushed inside. One man displayed a handgun and demanded money. The owner of the home, a 59-year-old man who had been sleeping in another room, woke up during the commotion. One of the intruders struck him on the head, then all five fled empty-handed. The male victim was treated at Beebe Medical Center for non-life threatening injuries. Call detectives at 856-5850 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 with information.
WEAPONS CHARGES: For unknown reasons, a 21-year-old Camden-Wyoming man sped up alongside a car driving near Petersburg on Sunday and pointed a handgun out the window at the driver, his fiancee and four young children, state police said. The incident happened shortly before 5 a.m. as a family of six was driving home along Willow Grove Road after spending the Christmas weekend with family in Wilmington. The driver told police that another vehicle came speeding up behind him flashing its lights. After attempting to pass him several times, the man told police that the driver pulled alongside his car, yelled at him and pointed a gun at him and the car's occupants. Police were able to find both cars along the road and arrested Derrick L. Serrano. They found a loaded handgun inside the car he was driving. Serrano was charged with weapons offenses and multiple counts of endangering the welfare of a child and reckless endangering. He was also charged with DUI and failure to have insurance and registration. He was released after family members post $75,000 secured bail.
DOVER MAN ROBBED: A 60-year-old Dover man was robbed Wednesday in the parking lot of a Home Depot. The victim got out of his car about 7:30 p.m. at the Dover store, said police Lt. Benton Counselman. He was approached from behind by three men, two of whom held the victim while the third stole his wallet. The thieves got into a brown, four-door Chevrolet and drove off on Leipsic Road. The victim was not hurt. The bandits were described as ages 18 to 21, wearing black jackets.
TWO INJURED IN HOME INVASION: Wilmington detectives are investigating an early-morning shooting and stabbing Monday that left two women injured. The incident occurred about 1:30 a.m. at a house in the 700 Block of E 6th Street Wilmington police spokesman Master Sgt. Steven Barnes said officers investigating the incident found a 27-year-old woman with a gunshot wound to her abdomen and a 20-year-old woman with a stab wound to her upper right arm. The victims told the officers a stranger burst into the home and made sexual advances toward one of them. When the woman spurned the man's advances, the man walked into the kitchen, got a knife and threw it at one of the women, hitting her in the upper arm. The two women fought with the man, who pulled out a gun and fired the shot that hit the other woman in the abdomen, police said. The women were taken to Christiana Hospital, where the gunshot victim was admitted in stable condition and the second woman was treated for a laceration and released. Police are asking anyone with information to call Detective Tom Curley at 576-3625.
MAN SUFFERS CUTS IN ROBBERY: Police said a 23-year-old Wilmington man suffered cuts on his nose, ear and hand after he fought with two robbers early Monday near Stanton. New Castle County police are looking for the two suspects. Police said the incident happened at 3:40 a.m. as the man was headed to his car. Police said the suspects approached him in the Woodfield Apartments at 4641 Patrician Blvd They had a knife and demanded money, police said. During the struggle, the pair hit him with the butt of a 12-inch knife. They took an undisclosed amount of money and fled, police said. Anyone with information is asked to call 395-8110 or visit www.nccpd.com.
TEENS CHARGED WITH ROBBERY: Two teenage boys were arrested after they allegedly robbed two people at knifepoint in Middletown. The incident occurred about 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot of the Super G in the Dove Run Shopping Center. A 21-year-old Bear man and a 17-year-old Middletown girl told police they were in the parking lot when two teens walked up to them wielding a knife and demanding money. The victims complied, and the teens ran off. A K-9 officer spotted two teens near the Willow Grove Mill Development -- not far from the robbery -- where they were arrested. Officers found a large serrated kitchen knife, a concealed black BB gun and money, police said. The suspects are a 16-year-old Middletown boy and a 17-year-old Wilmington boy, both charged with first-degree robbery, possession of a deadly weapon during a felony, aggravated menacing and conspiracy. The 17-year-old also was charged with carrying a concealed deadly instrument. The suspects were committed to the New Castle County Juvenile Detention Center in lieu of bails between $22,500 and $23,000.
HOME BURGLARIZED: Dover police are investigating a burglary in the first block of Village Drive. The incident happened about 11 a.m. Monday, when a man about 6 feet tall damaged a window to get in the home. He fled with electronics and related items. Anyone with information may call Dover police at 736-7111 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 or www.tipsubmit.com. Tipsters may remain anonymous.
GUNSHOT INVESTIGATION: Milton police are asking for the public's help in obtaining any information about shots that were fired early Tuesday at a car on Harbeson Road in Milton. At about 1:30 a.m., Milton police learned that occupants of a dark-colored vehicle shot at a blue Ford Taurus before fleeing. After police arrived at the location, they discovered gunshot damage to the Taurus and cartridges in the area. Anonymous tips can be given by calling 684-8547 or Crime Stoppers at 800-TIP-3333.
WOMAN SCARES OFF ROBBER: A 19-year-old man who was scared off by his would-be victim has been charged with trying to rob a 57-year-old woman Saturday, Newark police said. About 9:50 p.m. at the College Square Shopping Center, Brandon McDonough of the first block of Fairfield Road in Claymont drove up to the woman and asked for directions. When she stepped closer to his car, McDonough demanded her purse. When the woman refused, McDonough got out of his car with what appeared to be a rifle, police said. Using her car's key remote, the woman activated her vehicle's emergency alarm, causing McDonough to flee. Using a description provided by the woman, police were able to get an arrest warrant Monday and charged McDonough with first-degree attempted robbery and weapons charges. He is being held at Young Correctional Institution on unrelated charges.
INTRUDER SHOT IN MD HOME: Baltimore County Police say an intruder has been shot in a Pikesville home. Police say a resident of Saracen Drive returned home around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday to find two intruders there. A struggle ensued and police say that's when police say one of the intruders was shot. The other intruder fled. Police say the injured intruder was taken to Shock Trauma and they are still looking for the second intruder. Investigators are still trying to determine who the gun belonged to and whether the intruders and the resident knew each other.
ARMED TEENS TRIED TO CARJACK OFFICER: Pittsburgh police say an armed gang of teenagers tried to carjack an officer who was sitting in her personal vehicle while getting ready to go to work. Officer Caytlin Wood had her engine running Monday afternoon before heading for the 4-to-midnight shift when she saw five teens behaving suspiciously in the Bloomfield neighborhood. She called for backup to investigate. Police say a 14-year-old boy demanded the car while pointing a gun at Wood, who was wearing a sweat shirt over her police uniform. They say the boy ran when Wood stepped out but she caught him a block away. They say backup officers caught the other teens, aged 14 to 17. The juveniles have been charged with robbery of a motor vehicle and criminal conspiracy. The 14-year-old boy has been charged with illegal possession of a firearm.
STUDENT ALLEGEDLY HAD GUN: Delaware State Police said charges are pending against a 16-year-old male student at William Penn High School in New Castle after school officials found a gun in his backpack. Officers said a fellow student told a faculty member about seeing the teen with the gun. Administrators and troopers searched the student and his property in the school's main office and found the weapon, according to a report. They later found that it had been stolen. The teen was not arrested but police are investigating.
HOME INVASION ON WRONG HOUSE: Four suspects have been arrested in a home-invasion robbery that police said they committed at a mistaken address. Six University of Delaware students -- four male residents and two female guests -- were left bound with duct tape over their mouths in the 1:20 a.m. break-in Nov. 30 in the 500 building of University Courtyard Apartments on Scholar Drive. The suspects are Dustin J. Hults, 20, of the 100 block of Roosevelt Ave., Newport; Michael A. Ortiz, 20, and Joel M. Ortiz, 21, of the 1500 block of Dilworth Road in Willow Run near Elsmere; and Vincent J. Baiocco, 21, of the 2300 block of N. Washington St. in Wilmington, said Lt. Brian Henry, Newark Police Department public information officer. Investigators "confirmed that the defendants were actually targeting another apartment where they believed they would find drugs and/or drug money, but mistakenly entered the victims' apartment," Henry said. He did not reveal which unit the four meant to hit, but said an investigation of that site is continuing. Arrested Saturday at their homes, each is charged with six counts of first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, weapons offenses and other crimes, Henry said. Failing to post bail, all were committed to Young Correctional Institution in Wilmington, he said. According to police, the robbers -- three with guns, one with a knife -- made noise in a hall until a resident opened the door a bit, then shoved their way into the living room. A guest suffered a bruised eye when the door hit her; no one else was hurt. The intruders searched the place and stole a safe along with other undisclosed belongings but found no drugs, according to police, who said the men -- one using a bandanna to cover his face -- had brought along three backpacks and a pillow case. After they left, reportedly in a silver four-door car parked south of the complex, a resident got loose and called police. When police searched Hults' home, they found some of the stolen property, Henry said. More was found in a search of Michael Ortiz's car, which was used in the getaway, he said. An air gun used in the robbery also was found in Ortiz's car, and investigators determined that the intruders' other guns were air guns or BB guns, Henry said. The same apartment was burglarized when residents were gone for UD's Thanksgiving break, but nothing valuable was taken and items usually stolen in burglaries were left there, Henry said. Detectives are investigating whether the incidents are linked.
MAN FIRES GUN AT ROBBERS: A Glasgow-area man was arrested for discharging a firearm in a residential area after several Cobble Creek residents reported predawn gunfire, New Castle County Police Senior Cpl. Trinidad Navarro said today. John Slone, 24, of the 500 block of Cobble Creek Curve told police he shot at two men trying to break into his car shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday, Navarro said. Police, who found Slone’s small-caliber handgun in a search of his home, found no bullet damage to nearby homes or vehicles, Navarro said. Slone, arrested without incident, gave officers little description of the men and hospital checks found no reports of injuries in the incident, Navarro said. Discharging a firearm in an occupied residential area is a county code violation, he said, and calling 911 is the right response to crimes in progress.
PURSE SNATCHED AT BUS STOP: A woman waiting for a bus near Prices Corner was taunted by two men who stole her purse, state police said Friday. The incident occurred about 7:30 p.m. Thursday at a bus stop on Maryland Avenue at Hillside Avenue, said Cpl. Thomas Guarini. The victim, 50, said the men got angry when she ignored their obnoxious remarks. One tried to grab her purse and she held on, but when the other man also grabbed it, she let go. One of the men was described as 40 to 45 years old, 6 feet 2 to 4 inches tall, about 175 pounds. The other was about 20 to 25, 5 feet 6to 7 inches tall and about 150 pounds. Call Troop 2 in Glasgow at 834-2630 ext. 6 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 with information.
MAN PULLS SHOTGUN: A 28-year-old Middletown man was arrested early Saturday morning near Newark after police said he pulled a shotgun in the parking lot of a local eatery. The incident happened at 12:18 a.m. in the parking lot of the D&H Jamaican Restaurant at 748 E. Chestnut Hill Rd. Police said Jahangyr Patterson had been going in and out of the restaurant, arguing with his 23-year-old ex-girlfriend. Officers said after leaving the restaurant for the last time, Patterson went to his car and got out a shotgun. He pumped the gun's action several times and fled. Police said he turned onto Augusta Drive, crashed into a fence, kept driving and hit two parked cars. He was caught trying to get out of his car and was charged with aggravated menacing, weapons charges, failing to stop for a police officer and several traffic violations, police said. He was committed to the Young Correctional Institution after failing to post $13,000 bail.
BASEBALL BAT ASSAULT: Police arrested a man Sunday morning after they found him assaulting another man with a baseball bat. New Castle County police were called to the 300 block of W. Summit Ave. in the Elmhurst community at 3:42 a.m. Officers said they heard a fight inside a home. When they walked in, they saw two men on the ground fighting. Another man was standing over one of them, hitting him in the head and back with a baseball bat. Police ordered the man to drop the bat. The assailant then ran to the back of the home. The man being attacked crawled over to police and collapsed. Police said he suffered a seizure. He also suffered deep cuts and bruises and was taken to Christiana Hospital. Mark Kenney, 27, was charged with first-degree assault and possession of a deadly weapon.
ROBBERY AT UD: A University of Delaware dining services manager was robbed of the night's receipts Wednesday when she walked to her van about 11:20 p.m. near the Morris Library, campus police said. The manager was leaving the Bleecker Street Cafe in the library when she was confronted by a man who demanded the money bag. The employee turned over the bag and the man ran. A UD police officer assigned to the library spotted a man matching the thief's description run across South College Avenue to Winslow Road and get into a dark-colored vehicle. Call police at 831-2222 with information
SHOTS FIRED IN HOME INVASION ROBBERY IN NEW CASTLE: Officers investigating a report of shots fired near New Castle early today arrived to find the victims had been robbed by four men during a home-invasion robbery. The incident occurred about 2:40 a.m. in the area of the 100 block of Halcyon Drive, said New Castle County police spokesman Senior Cpl. Trinidad Navarro. An investigation determined that four men forced open a rear door to the residence and forced the home’s occupants into another room. The intruders demanded money and keys before running out of the house with the stolen property. The intruders encountered another victim while fleeing and started chasing him along Halcyon Drive toward New Castle Avenue. Navarro said the intruders fired several gunshots at the victim that hit nearby houses. No one was injured. The armed suspects are described as between 15 and 23 years old and dressed in dark clothing.Police are asking anyone with information on this crime to call Detective Argoe at 395-8110 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333.
ASSAILANTS SOUGHT: New Castle County police said seven suspects assaulted a 32-year-old man in Bear and took his cell phone and cigarettes as he walked home from work Sunday night. New Castle County police are asking for the public's help in finding the group. Police said at 11:30 p.m. the man headed toward Songsmith Drive near Blatty Place when the group approached him. One man punched him in the face, and the others forced him to the ground. He suffered a broken nose and had injuries to his hand and knee. Police said the suspects fled toward Stone Place and the Village of Kent complex. The victim could describe only two of the men. One who was 6 feet tall and wore a dark wool cap, a red Phillies jacket and blue jeans. The other was 5 feet 10 and thin. He wore a black do-rag, black shirt and dark pants, police said. Anyone with information is asked to call 395-8110.
ATTEMPTED CAR THEFT: A man with a handgun tried to steal a car while the owner was in it Friday in the parking lot of a Bear-area shopping center, state police said. About 6 p.m., the thief started to open the driver's side door while the driver, a 49-year-old Newark woman, was parked outside the Acme in the Fox Run Shopping Center, said Senior Cpl. Jeff Whitmarsh. The victim pulled the door shut and hit the power locks, he said. The bandit then grabbed the handle of one of the rear doors and demanded that the victim open it. When she refused, he ran toward U.S. 40. He is 30 to 40 years old with a thin mustache and wearing a green hooded sweat shirt. Call 834-2630, ext. 6, or Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 with information.
SHOPPER ROBBED: A holiday shopper was robbed at gunpoint Friday evening in the parking lot of a Bear shopping center, state police said. The victim was walking about 7:30 p.m. toward the Kmart in the Governors Shopping Center in the 400 block of Governors Place when a black four-door car pulled up beside him, Senior Cpl. Jeff Whitmarsh said. A man in the front passenger seat asked if the victim wanted to buy CDs. When the victim said he did and started walking toward the car, the bandit donned a mask and pulled a handgun. He demanded the victim's purchases and cash and drove off. The victim was not injured. The thief is described as 20 to 30 years old with an average build. Call 834-2630, ext. 6, or Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 with information.
SHOOTING AT CLUB: State police are investigating a shooting early Thursday at a Wilmington-area nightclub. Troopers were called to the Gold Club, 1031 S. Market St., about 2 a.m. Police said the 25-year-old male victim was an innocent bystander who was at the entrance of the club when he was shot by one of two men who bouncers would not allow into the club. The men began arguing with employees, then one of them pulled a gun and fired. The victim, who had arrived at the club to pick up his girlfriend, was struck in the hip. The two men, described as in their 20s or 30s, fled in a small black four-door vehicle, possibly a Toyota, police said. The victim was admitted to Christiana Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Call Troop 2 at 834-2630, ext. 207, or Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 with information.
SUSPECTED KIDNAPPING: New Castle County police are trying to find a Wilmington man suspected in a reported kidnapping and assault of an ex-girlfriend early Thursday. Jose Morales, 29, of the 1700 block of W. Fourth St., is also wanted on an outstanding warrant and because he is listed as a suicidal missing person. Morales last was seen wearing orange and yellow glasses, blue jeans, a pink button-down shirt, a black jacket and black shoes. His hair was in a "Mohawk" style. Police ask anyone with information about Morales to call Detective Michael Bradshaw at 395-8110.
TWO INJURED IN BAR FIGHT: A fight that broke out Wednesday at the Equator International Lounge near Newark led to one man being shot and two others stabbed, state police said. Police were called to the bar at 15 Prestbury Square shortly before 1 a.m. for reports of shots fired, Senior Cpl. Jeff Whitmarsh said. By the time troopers arrived, the crowd had dispersed and two injured men had been taken to the hospital. Investigators determined that during the fight, a 41-year-old man was shot in the thigh, finger and wrist; a 27-year-old man was stabbed in the chest; and a 24-year-old man was stabbed in the lower back. No suspects have been identified. The investigation is continuing. Call state police at 834-2630, ext. 208, or Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 with information.
ROBBERY, WEAPONS CHARGES: A 27-year-old Wilmington man was charged with first-degree robbery for a Nov. 18 incident in Newark, city police said. Jack Warrington is believed to be responsible for robbing a University of Delaware student who was headed to a friend's house on Prospect Avenue early that morning. Police also recovered the suspected Honda Accord used in the robbery. Warrington was also charged with multiple weapons offenses. He is in Young Correctional Institution.