School Employee Arrested for Dealing Child Pornography

Wilmington – Following a proactive online undercover investigation by the Child Predator Task Force, a Newark man employed as a school custodian has been arrested and charged with dealing in child pornography, Attorney General Beau Biden announced today.

“By taking predators offline and off the streets, the Child Predator Task Force harnesses the power of technology and the law to keep kids safe,” said Attorney General Biden.

On September 27, members of the Child Predator Task Force executed a search warrant at 47 Birchgrove Road in Newark with the assistance of a Delaware State Police trooper and detective. During the search of that address, which had been identified through a Task Force investigation into the distribution of child pornography on the Internet, assorted digital media were seized, including three computers. Forensic examination of the computers yielded over 50 video files of child pornography, which, along with interviews conducted, led to the arrest of Catlin Carl Lathem, a resident of the Birchgrove Road home. The investigation also revealed that Lathem, 20, is employed part-time as a custodian and groundskeeper at Red Lion Christian Academy, a private school in Bear with students in preschool through 12th grade. Lathem was charged with 25 counts of dealing in child pornography and was arraigned at JP Court 2. He is being held at James T. Vaughan Correctional Center in lieu of $625,000 bail. The investigation is ongoing.

A mug shot of Lathem is available upon request.

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Delaware Bans Dangerous Drugs Known As “Bath Salts”

Gov. Markell SpeaksGovernor Jack Markell announced at a news conference today that Delaware has banned the dangerous stimulants commonly known “bath salts” now making them illegal in Delaware.

Early this afternoon, Secretary of State Jeff Bullock signed an “emergency rule” adding the compound of drugs known as “bath salts” to Delaware’s Schedule I of Controlled substances, following a recommendation by the Controlled Substances Advisory Committee. The order will be in effect for 120 days, with a 60-day extension possible. That gives the Delaware General Assembly, which re-convenes in January 2012, enough time to pass legislation banning the drugs permanently.

Today’s action empowers state law enforcement agencies to treat bath salts the same as other harmful illegal drugs, which means those who possess and, more importantly, those who sell bath salts will now face criminal penalties.

“These are not what people traditionally think of as bath salts that are added to a bath. This is a new designer drug sold in small vials or tins. People are getting sick, suicidal and very, very violent. These drugs are nasty and dangerous,” said the Governor. “If you know someone who has been abusing ‘bath salts,’ get them help,” said Governor Markell. “If you have the drug in your home or business, take it to the nearest Delaware State Police Troop and turn it in.”

Sec. of State Bullock Speaks“We are taking the unprecedented action of banning these drugs using a little known, but very powerful law, to immediately make them illegal to sell or possess,” said Secretary Bullock. “It’s an action we shouldn’t take lightly, but given the growing danger these drugs pose to our community, it is an action we need to take without delay.”

The Delaware Attorney General’s Office says two drug-related crimes are now applicable for bath salts: (Simple) Possession, which is a Misdemeanor level crime and Possession with the Intent to Distribute, which is a Felony level crime. The baseline Possession with the Intent to Distribute charge carries a sentencing range of 0-8 years in prison, and the seriousness of the charge and the corresponding sentencing range increases when aggravating factors are present such as prior offenses, resisting arrest, or committing a drug crime near a school or park – in certain cases this charge can carry minimum mandatory jail time.

“We’re working collaboratively with our law enforcement partners to quickly develop a game plan to enforce this ban and take specific action to ensure that these dangerous drugs are kept off the streets,” said Brian Robertson, Deputy Attorney General.

Sen. Bethany Hall-Long, D-Middletown is currently developing legislation that will be introduced when the General Assembly returns in January.

“This designer drug became an issue in my district and I’ve been working with various stakeholders to develop legislation allowing us to make bath salts controlled substance as well as working with families on finding treatment options,” Hall-Long said. ”As a nurse I am all too aware of the negative consequence this has on our public’s health and the injuries to patients who have used bath salts as well as their violent acts against nurses, police and other first responders”.

An emergency room nurse at Christiana Hospital, Rep. Rebecca Walker has seen the effects bath salts have had on people and is working with the Attorney General’s office to draft legislation permanently banning the substance.

“This phenomenon has popped up in the last few months and now it’s become a daily problem in all three counties,” said Rep. Walker, D-Middletown. “People have presented to all the emergency departments in the state under the influence of these bath salts and are so out-of-control and violent that they’ve injured nurses and EMS providers, making it difficult to provide the necessary treatment. My biggest concern is for members of the community who may be violently attacked. We can’t wait until January to address this. Banning this substance is the right thing to do, and I’m grateful to everyone for taking action today.”

Marketed under names such as “Ivory Wave”, “Purple Wave”, “Vanilla Sky” or “Bliss”, these products are comprised of a class of chemicals which can mimic the effects of cocaine, LSD, MDMA and/or methamphetamine. The chemicals used to produce “bath salts” – mephedrone, methylone, and methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) –have a high potential for abuse. The Federal Food and Drug Administration has not approved these chemicals for human consumption or for any medical use, and there is no oversight of their manufacture.

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Governor’s Weekly Message Transcript: Moving Forward with Jobs for Delaware

Jobs in manufacturing and finance – and the small businesses that serve them – have given hundreds of thousands of Delawareans the chance to raise and support their families.

To make ends meet, and help build stronger financial foundations in their own lives.

These industries have, in turn, been critical foundations of our state’s economy.

They are also two of the industries hit hardest – and most often – by the national recession.

So it was with a degree of enthusiasm that we welcomed the news this week that Capital One intends to add 500 jobs to Delaware –jobs we look forward to seeing once Capitol One completes its acquisition of ING Direct and HSBC’s domestic credit card business.

And it’s with a great deal of enthusiasm that we greeted Bloom Energy’s announcement earlier this year that it was choosing Delaware for a new manufacturing hub – that Bloom was interested in turning the site of the shuttered Chrysler plant in Newark into a factory and campus.

This week, the Public Service Commission held three forums to discuss the opportunity for Delmarva Power to serve Delaware homes and businesses using technology manufactured here in Delaware, built by Delawareans. A number of Delawareans spoke up to support this effort to get Delawareans back to work, to make “Made in Delaware, exported to the nation” more true than before. As with any forum, there were opponents, too, and that’s an important part of any discussion. We think Bloom Energy will help power our future. Because, at heart, this is about getting our neighbors back to work. About supporting the small businesses that will readily welcome as new customers the Delawareans who will be hard at work at that factory.

And it’s about looking to the future with a stronger manufacturing base here in Delaware.

We can’t control the strong national winds that have buffeted the industries that put so many Delawareans to work. But we can control how we respond.

We keep working, we keep fighting, and we keep focused, on getting people back to work, which is what we need to do to keep our great state of Delaware and the people who live here moving forward.


Governor’s Weekly Message: Moving Forward with Jobs for Delaware at Capital One and Bloom Energy

In his weekly message, Governor Markell talks about jobs in manufacturing and finance – and the small businesses that serve them – that have been critical foundations of our state’s economy. These are also two of the industries hit hardest by the national recession.

“So it was with a degree of enthusiasm that we welcomed the news this week that Capital One intends to add 500 jobs to Delaware – jobs we look forward to seeing once Capitol One completes its acquisition of ING Direct and HSBC’s domestic credit card business,” said the Governor.

“And it’s with a great deal of enthusiasm that we greeted Bloom Energy’s announcement earlier this year that it was choosing Delaware for a new manufacturing hub – that Bloom was interested in turning the site of the shuttered Chrysler plant in Newark into a factory and campus,” the Governor continued.

This week, the Public Service Commission held three forums to discuss the opportunity for Delmarva Power to serve Delaware homes and businesses using technology manufactured here in Delaware, built by Delawareans. As with any forum, there were opponents, too, and that’s an important part of any discussion.

“We think Bloom Energy will help power our future,” said the Governor. “Because, at heart, this is about getting our neighbors back to work. It’s about looking to the future with a stronger manufacturing base here in Delaware.”

“We can’t control the strong national winds that have buffeted the industries that put so many Delawareans to work, ” said the Governor. “But we can control how we respond. We keep working, we keep fighting, and we keep focused, on getting people back to work, which is what we need to do to keep our great state of Delaware and the people who live here moving forward.”

About the Governor’s Weekly Message:
At noon every Friday, a new video message is posted to the Governor’s website and YouTube channel and is distributed to Delaware media outlets. Transcripts of the messages are posted and the audio version of the Governor’s message is available on iTunes as a podcast for distribution to personal MP3 players and home computers. The Governor’s weekly message is currently being carried on the air and posted on websites by various media outlets, and the direct link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwOjtdiv1BU

Constituents, media outlets and others are free to link to the Governor’s video message on YouTube –http://www.youtube.com/user/GovernorMarkell – or on his Facebook page –www.facebook.com/governormarkell – or on the Delaware State website athttp://governor.delaware.gov/information/podcast_video.shtml .  All are also invited to follow him on Twitter – www.twitter.com/governormarkell – and submit ideas through http://ideas.delaware.gov.

Transcript of Governor’s Message


Governor Announces Next Stage of Early Education Efforts

image: Governor MarkellGovernor Jack Markell today announced the start of the next phase of Delaware’s plan to improve the quality of early childhood education. Starting on October 1st, early care and education providers statewide will receive an increased reimbursement rate for caring for children eligible for Delaware’s Purchase of Care system.

“Education can’t begin the first day a child shows up for kindergarten,” said Markell. “Research shows that early education at a early care and education center provides the building blocks for a child’s success. Improving the quality of early education is fundamental for the future of each child and for our state.”

In June, the Legislature approved the Governor’s proposal to invest an additional $22 million to help build stronger staff and encourage stronger services at early childhood education centers.

Because reimbursement rates varied across the state for the Purchase of Care system, which reimburses providers for caring for low-income children, the plan allocated $12 million to increase rates to 65% of the market rate, plus an additional $0.50 per child per day. Providers will receive this new rate when they are reimbursed for October care in November.

The $10 million expansion of the Delaware Stars for Early Success quality rating program, which provides technical and financial assistance to enable centers to achieve quality standards, will also kick off in October.

“Over the past few months, we’ve met with programs involved in Stars and programs that want to get involved,” said Lieutenant Governor Matt Denn. “Early care and education providers want to make sure their kids get the best opportunities. The Stars program provides them with the tools to make that happen.”

Providers that are currently enrolled in the program and have achieved ratings of 3, 4, or 5 Stars will be eligible for higher reimbursement rates of 80%, 90%, or 100% of the market rate.

image: Governor Markell 2Providers that are not yet enrolled may submit applications beginning on Wednesday, October 5th. Providers will be prioritized for participation based on factors such as the percentage of the provider’s childcare slots devoted to Purchase of Care, geographic location, and the ages of children served. More details on the application process will be shared with providers and online next week.

“We’re excited for the opportunity to apply for the program,” said Dayna Moore, owner of Lessons Learned Educational Enrichment Center in Wilmington. “We work hard to provide high-quality care, and this funding could make a big difference in staff retention, hiring, and improving our skills.”

Technical support will be provided by the Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood at the University of Delaware. Staring in January 2012, they will be implementing a more flexible ratings system, more hands-on technical assistance, and clearer guidelines for grants.

“The feedback we’ve received so far has been very positive,” said Vivian Rapposelli, Secretary of the State Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families (also known as the “Kids Department”). “Our team is working closely with the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Social Services, a wide range of community stakeholders, and providers to make sure our kids are given the best possible start towards achieving their dreams.”

Photos available for media use are available here