The Delaware State Police have arrested a Dover man after he led them on a pursuit throughout Kent County.
MILFORD (DE): As if Delaware roads aren’t already dangerous. The last thing Delawareans need is a police chase on our roadways. That’s exactly what happened on Wednesday shortly after midnight. Luckily the chase occurred during the early morning hours on a weekday and traffic was not as congested as it would of been during a weekend night.
For Delaware, most police chases have ended well for the community, sparring them ones erratic driving behavior. The last known police chase in Delaware occurred in Greenwood on August 28th when a trooper was on patrol when a vehicle came within 30 feet of his marked patrol vehicle, before swerving to avoid a crash. The trooper then activated his emergency lights and the vehicle fled. That chase went on for four miles crossing into Maryland by Federalsburg, when Delaware Troopers called off the chase. Troopers were then contacted by Maryland State Police, who found the abandoned car near Federalsburg. When Delaware police responded, they found the man walking nearby. Police identified him as 27-year-old Jordan Wright of Bridgeville. He’s charged with resisting arrest with violence, among other things.
Such a dangerous police chase occurred once again in Kent County, and police say around 12:56 a.m. Wednesday September 13, 2017 a trooper was on patrol in the Camden area and observed a vehicle without headlights on. The trooper turned around in order to conduct a traffic stop, when the vehicle began fleeing northbound on Main Street in Camden, and upon reaching South DuPont Highway (US13), continued northbound in the southbound lanes.
According to police spokesman, Gary Fournier, the vehicle then made a U-turn through the center median and briefly began traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of US13 before crossing back into the southbound lanes near West Lebanon Road (SR10). The vehicle, which was later determined to be a black 2011 Lincoln MKZ, continued southbound into Harrington and then turned eastbound on Milford-Harrington Highway (SR14) and into Milford where it eventually drove northbound on North DuPont Boulevard (US113).
Officers from Milford Police Department assisted with the pursuit by deploying stop sticks which eventually brought the SUV to a stop when it pulled into the Travellers Inn (1036 North Walnut Street, Milford). Upon coming to a stop, the suspect continued to attempt to flee by placing the Lincoln in reverse and running into a state police patrol vehicle that was assisting with the capture.
Gary L. Ward, 18 of Dover, was taken into custody after a brief struggle and transported back to Troop 3 in Camden. He was charged with two counts of Failure to Stop at the Command of a Police Officer, Reckless Endangering 2nd, Resisting Arrest, Reckless Driving, Driving without a Valid License, and multiple other traffic related offenses.
He was also arrested by Dover Police Department for Theft of a Motor Vehicle after it was determined the vehicle Ward was operating was reported stolen earlier that evening in their jurisdiction. Ward was arraigned at JP7 and committed to James T. Vaughn Correctional Center on $2,018.00 secured bond.
