A Wilmington man was found masked inside a New Castle car dealership early Sunday morning, carrying a concealed machete and burglary tools after allegedly smashing his way in to steal a vehicle. Stephen Lemmons, 38, now faces multiple felony charges following the encounter with Delaware State Police troopers.
Troopers responded to a burglary alarm at Glacier Auto Sales 2, located at 216 N. DuPont Highway in New Castle, at approximately 6:15 a.m. on September 13, according to Delaware State Police. Arriving troopers found that a window at the dealership had been smashed and forced open, and when they ordered Lemmons to come outside, he complied with their commands. He was taken into custody without further incident.
Police recovered a concealed machete from Lemmons, along with burglary tools and property belonging to dealership employees, according to MyChesCo. Detectives with the Delaware State Police Criminal Investigations Unit, which took over the investigation, determined that Lemmons allegedly intended to steal a vehicle from the lot.
Charges Stack Up as Felonies
Lemmons was charged with third-degree burglary, possession of burglary tools, wearing a disguise during the commission of a felony, carrying a concealed deadly weapon, theft of $1,500 or more, and criminal mischief. Police identified all of those charges as felonies except for criminal mischief, per the same MyChesCo report.
The burglary charge carries a Class F felony classification under Delaware law, which covers knowingly entering or remaining unlawfully in a building with intent to commit a crime inside, according to FindLaw. The disguise charge is a felony, while the burglary tools charge is also a felony, according to the same MyChesCo report.
Lemmons was arraigned in Justice of the Peace Court and received a $10,100 unsecured bond on the burglary, weapons, and theft charges tied to the New Castle incident. He was nonetheless committed to the Delaware Department of Correction, a commitment that stemmed from capiases related to an unrelated matter, not the dealership case itself.
Why an Unsecured Bond Did Not Mean Release
A capias is a court-issued bench warrant directing law enforcement to arrest someone, most often issued when a defendant fails to appear in court or fails to satisfy court-ordered obligations, according to Delaware Courts. Outstanding capiases take precedence over bail releases tied to new criminal charges, which explains why Lemmons remained behind bars despite qualifying for an unsecured bond on the dealership case. Lemmons, like all suspects, is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Lemmons has a documented history with Delaware law enforcement. In May 2021, a Stephen Lemmons, then 33, was arrested by Delaware State Police in connection with a series of commercial and residential burglaries and thefts across Kent County, according to WBOC-TV, an age that aligns with the 38-year-old arrested this month.
A Recurring Target Along DuPont Highway
Glacier Auto Sales 2 is an independent pre-owned car dealership along the North DuPont Highway, carrying an active inventory of roughly 16 vehicles as of September 2026, according to CarEdge. That stretch of DuPont Highway includes other dealerships, and it has faced this kind of trouble before. In November 2020, a Dover dealership along the same corridor lost 27 vehicles after suspects broke a service bay window, according to the Dover Police Department.
The broader New Castle County area has seen persistent vehicle-crime pressure in recent years. In July 2026, police in neighboring Wilmington investigated 28 vehicle break-ins and attempted auto thefts over a single weekend, with suspects smashing car windows to target steering columns and valuables, according to CBS Philadelphia. Local agencies have previously responded by distributing nearly 1,000 free steering wheel locks and increasing patrols around commercial centers, per WHYY.
