BISHOPVILLE — A Selbyville man is in custody after getting caught in the act and leading police on a brief high-speed chase after a spree of burglaries late Saturday and into early Sunday morning in the Holiday Harbor area in Bishopville that had residents in the area on high alert.
On Saturday, Worcester County Sheriff’s deputies responded to several burglary reports in the Holiday Harbor area of Bishopville. The suspect had entered several sheds by cutting or otherwise bypassing locks.
Around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, a Worcester County Sheriff’s deputy on foot patrol as a proactive enforcement effort to find the culprit or culprits discovered a burglary in progress at a shed behind a residence on Nora Lane. The suspect, later identified as Tevin Nathaniel Smith, 23, of Selbyville, spotted the deputy, ran to his vehicle and began to flee at a high rate of speed, first on Dixie Drive and then on St. Martin’s Neck Rd.
The deputy returned to his vehicle and gave pursuit. Smith’s vehicle reached speeds in excess of 90 mph on the short stretch of St. Martin’s Neck Rd. before turning onto Mumford Rd. As the deputy began to game on Smith’s vehicle, the suspect eventually slowed down and stopped. There was also a female and a toddler in the suspect’s vehicle and it was later learned Smith only stopped when the female objected to being in a high-speed chase with her child in the vehicle.
A search of the vehicle turned up several pairs of bolt cutters used to cut locks along with other common tools used to burglarize buildings. Smith and the unidentified female were taken to the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office while the child was turned over to the custody of a family member. The investigation connected Smith to several of the burglaries in the area on Saturday.
Smith was charged with one count each of second-degree burglary, fourth-degree burglary and possessing burglary tools. It was also learned Smith’s Delaware driver’s license was suspended and he was issue multiple traffic citations related to the high-speed chase. He was taken before a District Court Commissioner and was ordered to be held on a $100,000 bond.
The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are likely for Smith as well as the unidentified female for her role in the break-ins. Anyone with information about the crimes, or believes his or her property was burglarized, is urged to contact the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office at 410-632-1111.