Suspicious Person Complaint Leads to Burglary and Weapon Arrests

Rehoboth Beach, DE – Troopers have arrested a homeless subject on burglary and weapons charges after a security company observed him acting suspiciously at a bank ATM.

The incident happened around 8:00 p.m. Tuesday July 7, 2015, when troopers responded to a suspicious person complaint at the Applied Bank located at 37012 Country Club Road. Information was received through a security company monitoring the bank through closed circuit cameras that a male subject was walking back and forth from his car to the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) acting in a suspicious manner. Upon the troopers’ arrival, contact was made with Chaise Darley, 27, who is reportedly homeless but originally from Portsmouth, Virginia. When he was initially asked for identification, he denied having any form of I.D. on him. He informed the troopers that he had some in his vehicle which was parked in the parking lot and upon opening the door, troopers observed numerous credit cards on the driver’s seat. As Darley began reaching into the vehicle, he was immediately told to exit the vehicle so the trooper could conduct a pat-down search for any weapons.

As the trooper attempted to pat Darley down, he took a defensive posture and appeared to be reaching for something in his waistband with his right hand. The trooper grabbed Darley’s right arm and observed what appeared to be a handgun fall to the ground and then kicked underneath the car by Darley. The trooper was then able to take Darley into custody without further incident and secure the loaded .380 Glock pistol.

Upon conducting a search of the vehicle, jewelry, checks, and credit cards were located and determined not to belong to Darley. Troopers also located drug paraphernalia consisting of a pipe commonly used to smoke marijuana, a grinder, and a bag full of fireworks in the trunk. Further investigation revealed he had committed a burglary earlier in the day at a residence located in the 20000 block of Guthrie Road, Rehoboth where he removed jewelry and clothing. He was also involved in thefts from vehicles parked in the Best Western parking lot located in Dewey Beach as well as on-going investigations in Portsmouth, Virginia for burglaries. Charges may be forthcoming from Dewey Beach Police Department on the thefts.

Chaise Darley was transported back to Troop 7 in Lewes where he was charged with two counts of Possession of a Firearm or Ammunition by a Person Prohibited, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, Burglary 2nd, Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon, Theft over $1,500.00, Tampering with Physical Evidence, three counts of Receiving Stolen Property, two counts of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Criminal Mischief, and Possession of Fireworks. He was arraigned at JP3 and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $48,501.00 secured bond.