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WEEKEND #5, 2010
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
REHOBOTH POLICE CHASE SUSPECTS IN TRUCK AFTER CIGARETTE COMPLAINT
What seemed like a trivial complaint resulted in a wild 13-minute chase and extensive manhunt through the Sussex County marshes early Saturday.
It started when a seasonal Rehoboth Beach police officer requested a full-time officer to stop a Ford Explorer Sport Trac XLT pickup truck hauling a scooter. It was headed west on Rehoboth Avenue passing Second Street around 12:17 a.m.
“I have a complaint from an individual,” the officer stated over the radio, “that a cigarette butt was flicked at him from the vehicle and hit him.” Three men and a woman were reportedly in the offending silver Ford pickup as it exited the city limits, leading police on a chase that was followed by an extensive search.
“I think he might be running from me...” said Cpl. Jamie Riddle, Rehoboth’s canine officer, who was the lead in the chase. “He just hopped the median,” Cpl. Riddle adds, “the scooter just came out of the truck!”
The Daelim S-Five motor scooter fell from the truck, landing on the road near CVS. A pedestrian also told police he was nearly struck as the truck sped past the pharmacy.
A Resort Patrol officer (above) offered to guard the scooter while police pursued the suspects.
As a coincidence, police had been looking for a pickup truck that was used to steal a moped two weeks ago from the ocean block of Wilmington Avenue.
Perhaps trying to decide if he had reason to use his police dog, Cpl. Riddle asks “Why am I chasing this vehicle? What’s the reason again?” he says over the radio as he pursues the truck on Holland Glade Road toward the Glade around 12:22 a.m. He was told that “A cigarette butt was flicked at a victim and hit him.”
The truck enters the Glade and Rehoboth police try to block the vehicle in the development. While in the Glade, the suspects jettison what appears to be a handbag which police later discover contains what an officer describes as “burglary tools.”
Police were unable to block the truck in the Glade, and around 12:25 a.m. the truck hops back on Holland Glade Road headed toward Coastal Highway traveling 60 m.p.h. still pursued by police.
The truck turns right on Coastal Highway and speeds up to 80 m.p.h. as the driver blows a red light, and turns right moments later on Munchy Branch Road. The truck continues to flee right on Wolf Neck Road, which has no outlet. The truck drives to the sewer plant and on an adjacent farm field where the occupants abandoned the truck and flee on foot in a soggy marsh.
Rehoboth police launch a ground and air search with the assistance of state police, Dewey Beach and DNREC rangers. Cpl. Riddle deploys his dog while the state police helicopter hovers above the trees using an infrared camera to help spot suspects in the dark. Police catch a man and woman between 1:05 a.m. and 1:15 a.m. They continue searching for possibly two more suspects.
The Daelim is registered to an address on Rehoboth Avenue. Although it was not yet reported stolen, police seem to think it was. The pickup is registered to an address in Harrington. Police had the Ford Explorer Sport Trac XLT pickup taken to the city impound lot early Saturday, along with the motor scooter.
An ambulance responded to the Rehoboth Beach police station around 2:30 a.m. to treat the female suspect who was reported injured after being bitten by the police dog.
4 REHOBOTH PARKING METERS DISAPPEAR IN ONE DAY!
Rehoboth Beach parking enforcement personnel called for police to take reports after four Duncan single-space parking meters were discovered stolen from their posts on Saturday.
The first two meters reported missing were ML14 and 15 in the Martin's Lawn parking lot behind the library. They shared the same post and were first noticed missing around noon. Delaware Avenue meter D72, in the ocean block, was discovered missing minutes later. Around 3 p.m., meter C66 on Christian Street was found missing as well. Parking techs promptly replaced the missing meters after reporting the thefts to police.
REHOBOTH DELIVERY TRUCK GETS "TAGGED"
A delivery truck parked behind Thoroughgood Appliances on Rehoboth Avenue was found to have been the target of a graffiti attack. It was discovered Sunday morning.
VANDALS STRIKE SILVER LAKE GAZEBO
This man is not claming in Silver Lake. He is searching the murky water for planters and other items that vandals tossed into the lake perhaps late Thursday or early Friday. Rehoboth Beach police took a report.
HANDS ACROSS THE SAND DEMONSTRATION ON REHOBOTH BEACH
A dozen participants joined hands when the Hands Across The Sand demonstration started at noon on Saturday in Rehoboth Beach. More participants arrived late. Similar local demonstrations were scheduled for Dewey Beach, Lewes and Ocean City to symbolically defend the coast from offshore oil drilling.
FINDING LOVE ON REHOBOTH AVENUE?
Sign is stapled to a tree on Rehoboth Avenue at Church Street outside Rehoboth.
Photo by anonymous.
VIOLENT STORMS YIELD PRETTY SKY
Thunderstorms rolled through Rehoboth Beach this past week. Here is the wall of clouds that brought the lightning storm.
Photo by Zane Gorove
FIN SIGHTINGS: SKATES OR SHARKS?
Rehoboth and Dewey lifeguards were inundated this week with visitors reporting fin sightings, mostly on Wednesday and Thursday. One guard said the people on his beach were "freaking out" about the fins.
Lifeguards typically dismissed the sightings as skates or sting rays; although some beach goers seemed convinced they were seeing shark fins.
When a skate is near the surface, its fin tips are frequently visible as it swims through the water.
Here are two examples from a previous season. Looking closely one can spot the rest of the skate under the water's surface. But from a distance it could be mistaken for a shark.
4 NEW ROBINS IN REHOBOTH BEACH!
Not often does one have the opportunity to watch baby robins hatch and grow just outside the window. These photos from Delaware Avenue in Rehoboth Beach show the progress the birds made in one week ending Saturday.
These photos were taken using a small mirror which Jerry Sipes says he held in his left hand while taking the photo with his Canon 1000 in the right hand.
June 19:
June 22:
June 26:
Photos by Jerry Sipes, Lighthouse Inn Bed and Breakfast
OTHER NEWS:
JAMES BRADY HOSPITALIZED--- Perhaps one of Dewey Beach’s most prominent residents, James Brady, President Reagan’s White House press secretary, has been hospitalized.
A Rehoboth Beach ambulance was called to his residence which is near Silver Lake around 10 a.m. Saturday. He had been complaining of severe abdominal pain and was taken to Beebe Hospital.
SEA COLONY, PYRAMID CONDOS EXPERIENCE WIDESPREAD ELECTRICAL WOES--- Several of the Sea Colony oceanfront high-rise condos suffered power problems and were partially evacuated Thursday afternoon. Read more on the WGMD Website.
Occupants at Ocean City's Pyramid Condominium at 9500 Coastal Highway faced a similar problem just before 9 a.m. Friday. An electrical room was reported hissing with arcing sounds followed by a boom. Occupants activated the high-rise condo's fire alarm and many of them evacuated. Firefighters reported smoke coming from the electrical room and dealt with the problem while evacuating occupants for more than an hour. The building still had electric power although occupants were encouraged to evacuate.
MAN SERIOUSLY INJURED AFTER DIVE INTO SHALLOW BAY--- A 26-year-old dove head-first into shallow water in the Isle of Wight Bay around 7:55 p.m. Friday. When he did not resurface after two to three minutes, bystanders went looking for him. They pulled his motionless body from the bay at 53rd Street behind the Bayspot condos. He was still alive but was suffering from numbness on his right side and paralysis on the other. A state police helicopter flew him to a trauma center.
GIRL FLOWN TO TRAUMA CENTER AFTER FALL AT NEW O.C. GYM--- A 13-year-old girl jumping up to a basketball hoop fell and suffered a serious neck injury Saturday evening. It happened around 6:30 p.m. at the new Northside Park gym in Ocean City. She was flown by a state police helicopter to a trauma center. She was complaining of pain and numbness below her neck.
CRASH CLOSES COASTAL HIGHWAY--- At least three people were injured after a three-vehicle crash on Coastal Highway at Old Landing Road in Ocean City. It happened around 8:45 p.m. Friday. Police closed all southbound lanes for awhile, but no injuries were reported to be life threatening.
OVERNIGHT OCEAN CITY FIRE ALARMS--- Firefighters in Ocean City kept busy this weekend responding to a half dozen late-night fire alarm activations since Friday. They were as follows:
Friday, 2:34 a.m. - Americana Stowaway Motel at 107 10th St. - police took a man into custody after he was accused of pulling the fire alarm near the ground-floor elevator lobby. There was no emergency.
Friday, 4:25 a.m. - The Meridian at 8 60th St. - A fire alarm pull-station appeared to activate on the 10th floor setting off the audible alarm. But this was possibly a system malfunction.
Saturday, 3:41 a.m. - 311 2nd St. - An audible fire alarm was reported by a passing police officer. Building was being evacuated when firefighters arrived. Firefighters said they were unable to silence the alarm. No fire or other hazards were discovered.
Sunday, 1 a.m. - Stowaway Grand Hotel at 2100 Baltimore Av. - The odor of burnt plastic was tracked to a vending machine on the 10th floor. The fire alarm was activated.
Sunday, 2:36 a.m. - Days Inn-Ocean Front at 2210 Baltimore Av. - A detector activated the alarm system. Firefighters found that a detector was missing from one room and they had a smoke odor in another room. Also, they requested police after discovering what appeared to be illegal drugs. When firefighters attempted to reset the system, it died.
Sunday, 3:15 a.m. - Princess Bayside North at 4801 Coastal Hwy - A detector had been removed which may have activated the alarm system. The building was being evacuated when firefighters arrived.
NEWS RELEASES / NEWS REPORTS:
PENNSYLVANIA TEEN DIES AFTER EXERCISING IN REHOBOTH BEACH (Wednesday, 8:55 a.m.)
JELLYFISH RETURN AS WATER TEMPS RISE
SECRETIVE POLITICAL CAMPAIGN TARGETS SCHWARTZKOPF
REHOBOTH AREA MAN ACCUSED OF RAPING PENNSYLVANIA WOMAN (last Saturday)
MAN DIES IN OCEAN CITY HOTEL POOL (Thursday, 10:40 p.m.)
REHOBOTH PD CHARGE DEPUTY STATE SOLICITOR WITH DUI (June 6)
WICOMICO DEPUTY STATE'S ATTORNEY KILLED IN ROUTE 50 CRASH (Friday, Pittsville)
MOTORCYCLIST KILLED AFTER DRIVING INTO PICKUP TRUCK (Friday, Ocean View)
GOOD SAMARITANS FEED STRANGERS' EXPIRED PARKING METERS
FREE MOVIES ON BEACH! (Dewey, Rehoboth, Lewes)
BONFIRES AT SUSSEX BEACHES ARE A TRADITION
ROUTE 1 BUCKLES IN HEAT (Thursday, Milford)
LIFEGUARD STAND VANDALISM MAY BE WORST EVER (Ocean City)
PETA PITCHES ODDBALL ICE CREAM (Rehoboth Beach)
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