Wilmington, DE – The Delaware Department of Justice today announced sentences in the following
criminal cases:
James R. Hardwick, age 49 of Newark, was convicted at trial in New Castle County Superior Court on
June 3, 2008 of twenty-nine counts of 1st degree Rape and two counts of 2nd degree Attempted Rape.
The defendant engaged in sexual intercourse with his stepdaughter and her friend, both juveniles, on
multiple occasions between 2003 and 2007. Hardwick was arrested by Newark Police in September,
2007.
Hardwick was sentenced in New Castle County Superior Court today by Judge Jerome O. Herlihy to
31 life sentences.
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Dustin Wolford, 19 of Magnolia, pled guilty on April 21, 2008 in Kent County Superior Court to 2nd
degree Burglary, 2 counts of 3rd degree Burglary and Theft of a Motor Vehicle.
Wolford was involved in a string of burglaries of sheds and other non-residential buildings from late
2007 to early 2008. He was arrested by Delaware State Police on November 1, 2007 and again for
similar charges on January 23, 2008.
Wolford was sentenced in Kent County Superior Court today by Judge Robert B. Young to one year in
prison followed by one year of work release, and then one year of probation. Wolford was additionally
sentenced to undergo mental health and substance abuse evaluations, and to obtain anger control
treatment. Wolford must also pay restitution and have no contact with the victims.
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Kenneth Iacone, age 38 of Dover, pled guilty on June 12, 2008 in Kent County Superior Court to
Identity Theft and 2nd degree Forgery.
Iacone, stole pills and a bank card from an employee at a psychiatric hospital when he drove a patient
there for an appointment. He later used the card to purchase merchandise. The employee indicated
that this crime caused emotional distress with physical implications. Iacone was arrested on January 4,
2008 by the Dover Police Department.
Iacone was sentenced in Kent County Superior Court today by Judge William L. Witham, Jr. to eight years in prison suspended after completion of the Greentree Program, a drug rehabilitation program for inmates. The incarceration is to be followed by two years of probation. He was ordered to pay restitution, to have no contact with the victim, undergo a substance abuse evaluation and treatment and be monitored by TASC (Treatment Access Center), an agency that provides drug and alcohol treatment services to offenders. __________________________________________________________________________________
Former Bethany Beach Police Officer Robert L. Talbot pled guilty in Sussex County Superior Court on Wednesday, August 27, 2008 to charges stemming from a criminal investigation by the Bethany Beach Police Department and the Delaware Department of Justice. That investigation followed a 2007 audit of the Bethany Beach Police Department overtime budget.
Talbot pled guilty before Judge E. Scott Bradley to one count of Theft By False Pretense and one count of Offering a False Instrument for Filing. The charges cover falsification of overtime documents and medical reimbursement requests that were submitted and paid by the Town of Bethany Beach.
Judge Bradley immediately sentenced Talbot to one year imprisonment for each charge, suspended for one year of probation for each. He was ordered to pay restitution of $3,132.22 to the Town of Bethany Beach. In addition, Talbot agreed not to contest decertification by the Council on Police Training (COPT) and agreed not to seek future employment as a police officer.
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