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WEEKEND #11, 2015
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
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MAN CARJACKED IN DOWNTOWN REHOBOTH
Police arrest 5 people from carjacked vehicle
on Friday in Pennsylvania!
Rehoboth Beach police are investigating a carjacking that occurred in downtown Rehoboth Beach this past week. It was the city's second robbery of the year, and the first carjacking in recent memory, if not the first ever.
The big news is that according to the Mercury News and the Lower Pottsgrove Township PD Facebook page, police have arrested five people who were caught occupying that carjacked vehicle in Pennsylvania on Friday.
Rehoboth Beach police say it all began around 5 a.m. this past Thursday when they were called to the area of Starbucks at 301 Rehoboth Avenue. The 58-year-old victim said he had parked his 2014 four-door dark blue Toyota Prius with Maryland tags 1BB5622 on 4th Street near Starbucks around 5 a.m. The victim, police said, stated that he went into Starbucks and when he came out, he was confronted by two younger-looking males.
The victim told police that one of the suspects wore a gray hooded sweatshirt and the other had a blue hooded sweatshirt with some sort of material covering the lower portion of his face. The victim also noted that both suspects had what appeared to be small-caliber .22 revolver-style handguns and ordered him to provide them with the keys to his car, which he did.
The suspect wearing the gray hooded sweatshirt was last seen running north on 4th Street then east on Sussex Street. The suspect with the blue hooded sweatshirt left the location in the stolen Prius traveling in the same direction.
Through the investigation, police say, it has been determined that three male suspects, two matching the description of the suspects in the carjacking, attempted to commit an armed robbery at the 7-Eleven around 4:50 a.m. In this incident the female clerk who was in the office area observed the suspects enter the 7-Eleven with their faces covered. The clerk was able to secure herself in the office and the suspects fled. The incident was not initially reported to the police department.
This is Rehoboth's second robbery of 2015. The previous robbery happened near the elementary school on July 10. State police have been investigating five other unsolved robberies this summer outside the city limits.
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DEWEY TO DISCUSS BAR VIOLENCE AT SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
After two recent violent bar brawls at the North Beach/Ivy complex, Dewey Beach police received assistance this past week with additional state resources. State troopers along with Alcohol & Tobacco Enforcement agents were assigned to the town. Furthermore, the town also sought assistance from DelDOT to provide light trailers to help brighten the dimly lit streets.
This past Saturday, to encourage a more peaceful crowd, the deejay was going to play 1980's music. Police report no fights and no confrontations with the officers, both during the week and weekend. However, a thunderstorm did move through the area late Saturday. Ivy also promised town officials it would increase staffing this past Saturday evening and no one who was involved in the fights from the previous Saturday would be allowed.
Dewey Beach police "did an excellent job of working with state agencies and Highway One representatives to create a positive outcome," says Mayor Diane Hanson. "Additional lighting in this part of town, which is generally very dark, was a very visible and highly effective tool," she added.
But town officials are still concerned and are planning to discuss "late night-early morning public safety concerns on McKinley and Dagsworthy avenues bayside" at Friday's special town commissioner meeting.
The violence that happened the previous week at the bars, which are owned by Alex Pires' Highway One, was "unfortunate especially since we've had such a peaceful and quiet summer so far in Dewey Beach," Mayor Hanson noted. "This brings up concerns of public safety and our main goal is to protect our police officers and members of the public from harm," she said.
During this Friday's special meeting she said commissioners will listen to the parties involved to learn what happened, better understand and then address concerns. The public is invited to speak at the meeting as well. "Highway One is currently working with our police to provide safety measures and longer-term solutions," Mayor Hanson added.
Last summer, North Beach had trouble with the $1 drink specials on Tuesday nights which were followed by violence during closing time. The Saturday before last was the first time the violence spread to a weekend night, possibly because of a change of music.
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CAPTAIN FOUND ALIVE AFTER GOING OVERBOARD AT SEA!
The Coast Guard spent Saturday night into Sunday morning coordinating a massive search and rescue mission in the Atlantic Ocean about 60 miles east of Indian River Inlet.
The Coast Guard had received a VHF radio report from the first mate of the 39-foot recreational fishing vessel Sea Robin stating that the 45-year-old owner of the boat had fallen overboard and the first mate was unable to stop the vessel.
Among those vessels in the area that came to assist was the Maersk WestPort, a 176-meter container ship. The Westport had been able to come along side the Sea Robin and assisted with the search.
Coast Guard vessels and a cutter from Cape May along with a helicopter from Air Station Atlantic City and a C-130 from Elizabeth City responded to assist.
According to the Coast Guard, the man was located by the Maersk Westport after treading water for nearly four hours. They threw him a life preserver and the Sea Robin was eventually able to pull him onboard. The Marine Traffic website showed the relative position of the Westport (green ship inside the dotted box) during the incident.
The Coast Guard arrived at the vessel, hoisted the man aboard the helicopter and flew him to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey, for further medical assistance. The Coast Guard released this video Sunday showing the medevac.
"The incredible teamwork and coordination between multiple Coast Guard assets and the Maersk Westport proved vital in locating and medevac-ing the survivor despite intense thunderstorms and darkness," said Tamara Whalen, a helicopter pilot who flew the case. "Each member was critical to insuring the safe return of the survivor to his family."
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POLICE SAY "NO" TO CANAL BRIDGE JUMPERS
For the second time this past week, Rehoboth Beach police have been called
for kids jumping from the drawbridge.
Although this seems to be a popular past-time elsewhere on the shore, typically
only crooks fleeing police have attempted this in recent years in Rehoboth.
Wednesday night's complaint came in at 8:21 p.m. (sunset was at 8:14 p.m.).
The kids had already completed one jump before being met by police officers.
The police spoke with the five boys and got their info and threatened to call
their parents.
The kids did point out that there is no sign prohibiting jumping from the bridge.
When asked how they knew the water was deep enough, one of them said he knew
it was deep enough because he watched his friend jump first.
One of the boys said the officer asked them politely not to jump so they probably will not return.
Parts of the canal are unusually shallow especially during low tide, which makes this potentially dangerous.
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STOLEN SUV FOUND ON DELAWARE AVENUE
This silver Nissan Xterra was reported stolen after it disappeared from the Canal Landing development about a week ago.
Around 1:20 p.m. Tuesday, the victim called Rehoboth Beach police reporting he had found it in the ocean block of Delaware Avenue. Rehoboth Beach police watched the SUV until a state trooper could come and "process" the vehicle for evidence.
According to the state police, the Nissan had been stolen from the parking lot outside the owner's residence. He had supposedly left the vehicle unlocked with a spare set of keys inside. It was reportedly taken around 11:30 p.m. the previous Sunday.
MISSING SILVER LAKE HISTORICAL MARKER FOUND IN LAKE
Sallie H. Forman, Save Our Lakes Alliance 3 founder and president, said the marker was underwater close to the shoreline adjoining the bird refuge site south of the Silver Lake bridge. The state police have taken possession to examine it for evidence and then it will be turned over to the State Archives.
Representative Pete Schwartzkopf, Speaker of the House, and Senator Ernie Lopez, were the legislative sponsors for the marker and attended last year's dedication. Forman said they have agreed to have it replaced. She says the State Archives promises that the new one will be made of a stronger composition material that is made by a new fabricator. It will take several weeks before the new one can be installed.
For more information about protecting the lakes please see the Save Our Lakes Alliance 3 website and the recent SOLA3 newsletter.
Photo courtesy Sallie H. Forman
6 RBP STANDS RECOVERED; ONLY 1 STILL MISSING
The Delaware Surf Fishing blog has been tracking the missing RBP lifeguard stands on the high seas. This past week they posted this report featuring what appears to be the Coast Guard vessel from Chincoteague recovering the sixth stand.
Mike Peterman, Rehoboth Beach Streets Dept. superintendent, said he personally went to the Chincoteague Coast Guard station and retrieved the stand this past Thursday. He noted that actually one stand has yet to be recovered, despite what the blog had reported.
Sea Colony also had trouble this past week with at least one lifeguard stand that was floated in the ocean. It was discovered around 9:15 a.m. on Friday about a mile from shore. When the Coast Guard declined to help, the lifeguards went out and retrieved it themselves.
Photo courtesy Hank Deatrich, Delaware Surf Fishing blog
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REHOBOTH LIFEGUARDS COMPETE IN GMA CONTEST
The Rehoboth Beach Patrol made it to the semi-finals of the Good Morning America Lifeguard Surf & Turf Showdown but was out-voted by several other beach patrols.
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REHOBOTH'S 37th ANNUAL SANDCASTLE CONTEST
The Rehoboth Beach 37th annual sandcastle contest brought some of the best and brightest sand builders to town this past weekend. They pushed the limits of sand, building everything from traditional sandcastles to cartoon and political characters, sea creatures and military vessels and aircraft!
This work is entitled Greece Is The Word – by Rebecca Shoot, Patricia Joo, David O'Brien and Shai Segall. Segall explained they wanted something with a political satire/cartoon theme. To build the face/head, O'Brien said he used a bucket packed with damp sand. That allowed him to carve the detailed features into the statue-like sand figures.
Newspaper legend Andy West (Delaware State News journalist) continues his winning streak with The Lion King that he and his son constructed. Here he is studying his work after a long hot day in the sun. Maybe he was trying to send a message with that T-shirt?
West is a former organizer/promoter of the sandcastle contest back when the Daily Whale and Delaware State News sponsored the competition. West decided it was so much fun he was going to try it himself. The first two years were disasters, but he says the more one builds, the more one becomes comfortable with using the sand. This was his eleventh year participating and his eighth Top 10 finish. Winning "really does not matter, it's just fun to be out here," he added.
This is Capt. Larry Murray, a professional firefighter from Montgomery County, Md. and a member of the county's Urban Search & Rescue team. He is assigned to the Rockville firehouse. His piece is called "The Proposal." She already said yes. She is the woman in the right corner of the photo.
He says he builds sandcastles for relaxation. He has been building one this
week of August for the past eight years. The work features a cut glass "diamond"
at the top.
Disney Comes to Rehoboth was the brain child of Sheri Miller. She led a team of close to 30 workers who built 10 Disney characters in the sand. They worked in shifts and did everything from delivering equipment, food, chairs, shoveling, sculpting, packing, water carriers and even cleaning up.
Miller says she assigns everybody a job. "Just try, you won't believe what you can do..." she tells the children. "Not all the little kids are artists, but when you put it all together and you have one complete work, it just is great," she added.
She wanted to do something that appeals to children so Disney was the ideal kids' theme. She gave the children the rough shape and returns later to insert the details.
Her cousin is Scott Harvey from Ventura, California. He explained how Miller spent much time selecting the characters online, blowing them up and selected the final ones to build.
More photos and the list of winners is on the Chamber of Commerce Facebook page.
FIRST WEEKEND OF AUGUST = COASTAL HIGHWAY GRIDLOCK
People traveling to and from this weekend's sandcastle contest faced a bigger challenge than trying to decide what to build in the sand.
"Traffic was a mess," says Mike Behringer, who was stuck on Coastal Highway around 3 p.m. Saturday and shares this photo. "It took me over 45 minutes to get from Gills Neck Road in Lewes to my home in the Rehoboth Beach Country Club," he said.
State troopers responded to back-to-back crashes on Coastal Highway in less than an hour. This was the scene near Tomato Sunshine. "The Audi was definitely totaled," he added, but no ambulance was needed.
Photo courtesy Mike Behringer
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SHOWFIELD CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY NEAR LEWES
It appears to have been the end of an era at the Smith Farm. There has been an uproar from the community because of the developer removing trees, says Mike Behringer, and "soon there won't be any more cornfield left on that corridor."
The Showfield development is a new Lingo project. Here is a News Journal article about the luxury development.
Photo courtesy Mike Behringer
REHOBOTH WATER LILLY BLOOMS AFTER 10 YEARS
Photo courtesy Gerald Sipes
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OTHER NEWS:
NOTES FROM THE REHOBOTH CAMPAIGN TRAIL--- Paul Kuhns, Rehoboth Beach commissioner candidate, wrote this past week stating that he "respectfully disagreed" with last week's candidate forum article's premise that the candidates came across with similar concerns. "I believe there were differences. Both Patrick [Gossett] and Bill [Sargent] said the problem was the over-commercialization of the residential neighborhoods. I stated and feel very strongly that the problem is that there are no controls on how many people can occupy any given residence. There has been overcrowding in rentals for years. It didn't just start in the last few years. For example, I have many times walked by three-bedroom rental cottages over the years and seen 10 to 15 people in them. These homes today are larger, and the city still lets many properties get away with overcrowding," he said.
The past Wednesday, the candidates faced off for the last time at the Chamber of Commerce forum. Here's the WRDE report. The election is this coming Saturday.
SECOND ACCIDENTAL DEATH FOR DEWEY SO FAR THIS SEASON--- Robert Barnes, the man who fell down a flight of steps at Izzy Plaza on July 18, died the following day of his injuries. His obituary appears in the July 24 Cape Gazette. The previous accidental death in Dewey was the man who suffered a spinal injury near Chesapeake Street on June 27.
TWO BEACH VISITORS FLOWN TO TRAUMA CENTERS AFTER SURF INJURIES--- Two beach visitors were injured seriously enough this past week they required a medevac flight to a trauma center. A man in his 80's injured his neck/back around 11 a.m. on Tuesday at 69th Street in Ocean City. On Saturday, another beach goer was flown after being injured off South 3rd Street in South Bethany around 6 p.m.
UPDATE TO OCEAN CITY DEATH OFF 3RD STREET--- Bruce Goldfarb, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner spokesman, says the cause of death for the woman who was pulled from the Ocean City surf on July 8, around 7:30 a.m. at 3rd Street, was anoxic encephalopathy and near drowning. He also added that the manner of death was determined to be suicide.
ANOTHER BEACH VISITOR BURNED BY HOT SAND--- A Bethany Beach ambulance took a 57-year-old woman to Beebe Hospital this past Tuesday after she suffered second-degree burns to the bottom of her feet while walking on the beach. It happened off Garfield Parkway around 11 a.m.
NEWS RELEASES / NEWS REPORTS:
Last-minute family beach getaway guide (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Tourism continues to grow in Ocean City, Sussex shore
Delmarva summer tourism expects higher numbers for 2015
Independent Transportation Network to provide new transportation for seniors
Delaware state-record 21.8-pound blueline tilefish caught in Norfolk Canyon by Townsend angler
New web-based mapping portal now available for Sussex County
Sussex Co. Council introduces off-premises sign moratorium
Tom McGlone talks about Lewes dog park
Lewes dog park supporters' website
Possible limitations for renters in Lewes
Police investigate fatal crash near Georgetown
12 arrested in anti-public lewdness campaign at Wolfe Neck parking area
Men arrested for soliciting sex at Wolfe Neck Park
Names released in the Wolfe Neck Park sex-soliciting sting
$15 million sought for planned Wilmington stock exchange (has ties to Rehoboth man)
Ex-NYSE, PHLX chairs seek $15M for penny-IPO Delaware stock market - Philly.com
Travel survey reveals most expensive summer destinations in the USA (Rehoboth #9)
Annapolis police charge Rehoboth man in hit-and-run involving cyclist
Rehoboth tests local guards in Lifeguard Olympics
Federal judge to rule on Rehoboth pool case
Rehoboth seeks to dismiss referendum suit
Despite string of robberies police say "Rehoboth" is safe
"Hate flyers" distributed at Episcopal Church in Rehoboth
Hooters of Rehoboth bikini carwash to benefit the Rehoboth Beach Vol. Fire Co. (this Thursday)
Suspect in Dewey rape arrested in Wicomico County, Maryland
Dewey town manager working without contract
Defamation suit against Dewey officer dismissed
Millsboro area daycare provider now behind bars
Sussex County will reward neighbors who catch "trash tossers"
Pomeroy's Liquor in Selbyville catches on fire
OCPD helps release rehabbed sea turtles
Yet another pedestrian struck on O.C.'s Coastal Highway
Two Pennsylvania men arrested for drug and weapons possession in O.C.
Street performers allege "freedoms being stepped on"; new regs took effect Monday in O.C.
Ocean City church rebuilds two years after fire
Why would Ocean City want to ban weekly vacation rentals? (Baltimore Sun)
Michael Sprouse flies high with the Flying Wallendas (Jolly Roger high-wire act)
Swim guide app keeps public updated on water quality levels
Stephen Decatur graduate comes home on public service mission (O.C. Coast Guard news conference)
Have you seen humpback whales on the Shore lately?
Wild ponies swim in Chincoteague
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