Residential Alarm Leads Troopers to Arrest Burglar

Lewes, DE – Troopers have arrested a Rehoboth Beach man after a residential alarm was set off at one of the locations he burglarized.

The incident occurred at approximately 10:50 p.m. Monday July 14, 2014 when troopers responded to Taramino Place Apartments in Lewes after a burglar alarm was activated in one of the units. Upon the trooper’s arrival, Richard M. Walls, 47 of Rehoboth Beach, was seen entering his black Pontiac Sunfire parked in a darkened corner of the parking lot behind the apartment complex. As he began to back out of the parking spot, troopers made contact with him and observed a flat screen television, a cable box, and controllers in the passenger’s seat. Also located in the center console was a frozen vanilla fudge drumstick ice cream treat that, after talking with the victim of one of the break-ins, confirmed it had been stolen from the freezer of his home along with the TV and cable box. Numerous other apartments were slightly damaged by pry marks to the rear doors, but entry was not made.

Richard Walls was taken into custody and transported back to Troop 7 where he was arrested for Burglary 2nd, four counts of Attempted Burglary 2nd, Possession of Burglary Tools, Theft under $1,500.00, and five counts of Criminal Mischief. He was arraigned at JP3 and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $34,500.00 cash bond.