A 15-year-old girl was sitting on the couch in her family's home on the 100 block of Cherry Street in Dover when a masked stranger slipped in through an unsecured rear door or window, pointed a black handgun at her and demanded money. Four family members were asleep upstairs and had no idea what was unfolding below them. More than a month later, Dover police say they have charged two 30-year-old Dover men in connection with the armed break-in.
The home invasion happened late Wednesday evening on Sept. 16, at 11:48 p.m., according to Dover police. After pointing the gun at the teenager and demanding cash, the intruder allegedly grabbed an iPad, an iPhone, four bottles of medication and a Nintendo Switch charging dock before fleeing out the back of the residence. As NBC10 Philadelphia reports, the two men now face multiple felony charges, including robbery, burglary and firearm offenses.
Detectives Build the Case Over Five Weeks
Detectives identified both men as suspects during the investigation and obtained arrest warrants, according to the same Dover police release. One of the two had already been off the streets since Sept. 17, held at the Sussex Community Corrections Center on unrelated charges. Police interviewed him there, and he remained in custody pending arraignment on the new charges.
The second suspect was taken into custody on Oct. 21, more than a month after the break-in, with assistance from Probation and Parole, the department's report notes. He was processed, arraigned and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on a $154,000 cash-only bond.
Charges Include Robbery, Burglary and Firearm Counts
Per Delaware Live, both men were charged with second-degree conspiracy, first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and theft involving a victim age 62 or older. Delaware Live also reports that detectives identified both suspects during the investigation and obtained warrants for their arrests before the arrests were carried out.
Police have not said which of the two men allegedly entered the home and pointed the gun at the teenager, and that detail has not been released. The outlet notes that Delaware House Bill 59, which took effect Oct. 21, limits how much law enforcement can release about the names and photographs of adults charged with crimes under certain circumstances, which may explain the gap in identifying details in the department's account.
A Frightening Month for the Cherry Street Block
For the family inside the home, the ordeal involved a gun pointed at a teenager while relatives slept just upstairs, unaware anything was wrong. The case has moved from a September investigation to October arrests, with one suspect remaining at Sussex Community Corrections Center and the other committed to Sussex Correctional Institution as the legal process continues.
