Uptown Motor Vehicle Theft
OCEAN CITY — A Delaware man was arrested on motor vehicle theft and other charges last week after allegedly swiping the keys of a stolen vehicle from an uptown hotel employee’s cleaning cart.
Around 1:45 p.m. last Wednesday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer responded to a north-end hotel for a reported motor vehicle theft. The officer met with a female employee who reported her vehicle had been stolen. The victim reportedly told police she was cleaning a room on the third floor and her cleaning cart was in the hallway.
The victim told police her jacket with her car keys was on the cart, and when she went to lunch, she discovered the keys were missing, according to police reports.
The victim went to the parking lot and discovered her vehicle was not there. According to police reports, the victim told the officer she believed the suspect was a man identified as Derek Young, 32, of Millville, Del. When asked why she believed Young had stolen her vehicle, the victim reportedly told police Young had been staying at the hotel for about a week and there had been reports of him acting odd.
For example, the front desk had reportedly received numerous calls about Young bothering guests by banging on doors. The victim reportedly told police there were not many guests in the hotel and she had seen Young just prior to her discovering her keys and, eventually, her car was missing.
While the officer was interviewing the victim, another hotel employee was looking out a back window in the pool area and observed Young getting out of a vehicle. While the employee was watching, Young went around to the rear passenger side door and started to unload property, according to police reports.
The victim confirmed the vehicle Young had just arrived in was the one she reported stolen, according to police reports. The officer observed Young walking toward the back door of the hotel carrying several plastic bags. The officer detained Young, who, after being read his rights, refused to speak with the officer, according to police reports.
The officer retrieved a set of keys from Young’s belongings and the victim confirmed they belonged to her. At that point, Young was taken into custody. During a search incident to his arrest, the officer located a Motorola two-way radio in his pocket, which was determined to belong to the hotel.
The victim confirmed she did not give Young permission to take the vehicle. The officer made contact with the vehicle’s registered owner, who also confirmed Young did not have permission. A background check revealed Young’s Delaware driver’s license had been suspended.
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Domestic Assault Arrest
OCEAN CITY — An Ocean City man was arrested on assault charges last week after allegedly slapping his girlfriend during a domestic dispute at a downtown residence.
Around 3:25 p.m. last Thursday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer responded to a reported domestic assault that had already occurred at a residence on Judlee Avenue. The officer met with the victim, who reportedly told police she resides at the residence with the suspect, later identified as Ivan Morales, 29, of Ocean City.
The victim told police Morales moved into her unit several days prior and became enraged when he viewed a picture of her ex-boyfriend. The victim told police Morales had slapped her on the right side of her head, face and ear. The victim’s daughter was on the scene and witnessed the assault and provided an account of the events the corroborated the victim’s story.
For his part, Morales acknowledged there had been an argument, but denied striking the victim. Based on the evidence of an apparent assault on the victim, along with the testimony of the victim and her daughter, Morales was arrested and charged with second-degree assault.
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Drunk Driving, Drug Arrest
OCEAN CITY — A New Jersey man was arrested on drunk-driving and drug charges last weekend after allegedly driving over the concrete median on Philadelphia Avenue.
Around 10 p.m. last Saturday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was dispatched to a convenience store at 26th Street for a reported intoxicated driver. A witness reported observing a Ford F-150 truck drive over the concrete median at Philadelphia Avenue and 23rd Street before coming to rest at the convenience store at 26th Street.
When the officer arrived, the suspect, later identified as Raymond Bredlau, 57, of Williams Town, N.J., was found sitting in the driver’s seat and talking on his phone. When the officer approached Bredlau, the suspect exhibited signs of intoxication. According to police reports, Bredlau told the officer he had struck the median and that he had too much to drink before driving.
Bredlau reportedly told the officer he had already called a friend to pick him up because he had too much to drink. Bredlau reportedly consented to a battery of field sobriety tests, which he did not complete to the officer’s satisfaction. At that point, he was arrested under suspicion of driving while intoxicated. A background check revealed Bredlau’s driver’s license was suspended in New Jersey.
During the booking process, a search incident to the arrest allegedly revealed a plastic Ziploc bag containing powder cocaine.
A search of Bredlau’s vehicle revealed glass smoking device with white powder residue in it, according to police reports. The officer returned to the scene and examined the area where Bredlau reportedly drove over the median at 23rd Street. There were reportedly large scrapes and gouges in the median including a missing three-inch section of concrete. An examination of Bredlau’s truck revealed fresh damage consistent with driving over the median and additional leaving the scene of an accident involving property damages were tacked on.
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Suspended Sentence In Gun Discharge Case
SNOW HILL — A Delaware man, arrested on first-degree assault and other charges last November after allegedly firing a warning shot in the direction of another man during a dispute over hunting near Snow Hill, was sentenced last week to one year in jail, which was suspended in favor of probation.
Last Nov. 30, Maryland State Police troopers responded to the area of Woodside Lane and Route 113 near Snow Hill for a report of a dispute involving a firearm. The investigation revealed a hunter was exiting the area when he was allegedly confronted by another hunter identified as Wingate Streett, 64, of Wilmington, Del.
According to police reports, Streett was exiting his tree stand when he became infuriated at the victim. Streett reportedly continued to yell at the victim as he walked toward the victim and discharged a single round from his hunting rifle. According to police reports, the victim observed and heard the round ricochet off the ground nearby.
Streett reportedly remained in the woods until law enforcement arrived on the scene. After troopers made several attempts to contact Streett, he eventually came out of an adjacent field with no rifle in his possession. The rifle was later located about 25 yards from Streett’s tree stand in the woods, according to police reports. Streett was arrested and charged with first- and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment
Last week, Street entered an Alford plea to reckless endangerment. In an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt, but acknowledges the state has enough evidence to prosecute the case. He was sentenced to one year, which was suspended, and he was placed on supervised probation for two years.
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Jail Time For Assault
OCEAN CITY — An Ocean City man arrested on assault and child abuse charges last week after an incident at a downtown residence pleaded guilty last week and was sentenced to five years, all but 18 months of which were suspended.
Around 4:30 a.m. on April 4, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to the area of 14th Street for a reported domestic assault in progress. OCPD officers observed a suspect identified as Burt Foskey, 41, of Ocean City, whom they knew from previous encounters, running east on 14th Street toward the Boardwalk.
OCPD officers met with the female victim who was reportedly upset and who told police Foskey had allegedly dragged her through the residence by her hair and had assaulted her. The victim told police Foskey had looked through her phone while she was asleep and found that she had been communicating with another male, according to police reports.
The victim told police her two young daughters had heard the commotion and came into the bedroom where the alleged assault was taking place. According to police reports, Foskey picked up one of the girls and shoved her back into a wall and pushed her in the face with an open palm.
The victim reportedly yelled at the girls to run and get help and they ran across the street to a neighbor who called 911. OCPD officers interviewed the children who corroborated the story. Foskey pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and was sentenced to five years, all but 18 months of which was suspended. He was also placed on supervised probation of five years upon his release.