Media Release
September 25, 2012

Wilmington –  A Delaware man has been arrested for sexual solicitation of a child following an investigation by the Delaware Child Predator Task Force,  Attorney General Beau Biden announced today.

The Child Predator Task Force investigation was initiated after a 17 year old female and her mother reported to authorities that she had received illicit text messages from an adult man.  Investigators learned that the subject was known to the victim and that the two had exchanged text messages.  During this exchange, investigators learned that the victim received a text message in which the subject solicited the victim for a sex act and that later that day he sent her an image of a man’s genitalia.

“The Child Predator Task Force is working every day to protect kids who are targeted by those who would harm them,” Attorney General Biden said.

Theodore M. Campbell, 42, of the 100 block of N. Landing Drive, Milford was arrested on September 17 and charged with one count of sexual solicitation of a child under 18 to engage in a prohibited sex act.

After his arrest, Campbell was arraigned by videophone at JP Court #2 where he was released on a $7,500 unsecured bail. He was ordered to have no contact with the victim or the victim’s family and was prohibited from using the Internet.

A booking photo of Campbell is attached.

The Delaware Department of Justice reminds the public that a charge is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. Defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a jury trial at which the State bears the burden of proving each charge beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Sessions engage rental property owners with focus on proven techniques to reduce crime in rental properties

Wilmington – As part of its ongoing effort to reduce crime and improve the quality of life in
throughout Delaware, Attorney General Beau Biden’s office is continuing its landlord training initiative to give property owners the knowledge and tools they need to combat criminal activity on their properties and avoid legal sanctions under the state’s Drug Nuisance and Social Vices Abatement Act. Five day-long trainings have already been held by his Nuisance Abatement Program and the next landlord training session will take place this coming Saturday, September 29, in Wilmington.

“Our message to landlords is clear – you have responsibilities to the communities where you own rental properties,” Biden said.  “Over the past 18 months we have trained more than 300 landlords on how to
reduce neighborhood crime.  Saturday’s training in Wilmington, where approximately half of all properties are rentals, gives owners information and tools they need to prevent and respond to crime that occurs on their properties, but also makes it clear that we will take legal action against them if they allow that activity to take place.”

The Attorney General’s landlord training initiative addresses a pattern of criminal activity at
rental properties statewide.  A focus of the initiative is the City of Wilmington, where approximately half of its 32,000 properties are rentals.  In the higher crime areas of the City, that rate increases to approximately 75%.  The majority of criminal nuisance complaints in Wilmington and statewide that have been referred to Biden’s Nuisance Abatement Program stem from rental properties whose owners often claim to be unaware of the illegal activity on-site or lack knowledge to effectively manage their properties. These landlords frequently fail to perform criminal background checks on their tenants, and often have deficient leases and rental applications, or none at all.

To proactively reduce crime in rental properties, the Attorney General’s Office offers daylong
training seminars to ensure that property owners understand their responsibilities under the law
and have the tools to be effective landlords and responsible community members. The
next training will be held this Saturday, September 29 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Carvel State Office Building Auditorium, 820 N. French Street, Wilmington. It will feature presenters from the Attorney General’s Office, police, and private legal practices. Presentations will cover topics including identifying gang and drug activity, criminal background screening, eviction proceedings, Fair Housing laws, nuisance property laws, and crime prevention through environmental design. The trainings are focused on landlords, but are open to anyone. While training is voluntary, failure to attend or failure to abide by the suggestions will be factored into determining future courses of legal action against certain properties and their owners.

Landlords, tenants, and members of the community who have questions about this week’s
landlord training, or want to report a property to the Attorney General’s office are encouraged to call
the Nuisance Abatement Program at (302) 577- 8500.

The Attorney General’s Nuisance Abatement program uses the state’s Criminal Nuisance Abatement Act to identify and investigate properties where drug, gun and violent crime is permitted to flourish, and offers property owners the choice to abate the nuisance or be forced to defend themselves in court. The Attorney General’s office identifies nuisance properties statewide through its own investigations and in cooperation with state and local police agencies, local authorities, civic associations, and neighborhood residents. To date, over 125 nuisances have been abated and nearly 400 properties remain on the Program’s “watch list.” Additionally, more than a dozen properties have been shut down because they were found to present an immediate threat to the health, safety and welfare of the surrounding community.

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Dover – The Delaware Office of Highway Safety (OHS) will again team up with NASCAR driver J.J. Yeley at the Monster Mile next weekend (September 28-30) to remind fans to Drive Sober and Arrive Alive. This time Yeley will pull a double duty and drive the #27 Nationwide car with Go Canada Motorsports (GCMI) on Saturday and then on Sunday drive the #36 Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) car for the Sprint Cup race.  Yeley will be promoting the Drive Sober message all race weekend with OHS at various events and activities in the Monster Mile Fan Zone including t-shirt giveaways for participants of the Tipsy Tricycle, and signing autographs at the OHS booth.

“OHS is very excited to partner with J.J again to promote the Drive Sober message,” said Jana Simpler, Director of the Office of Highway Safety. “He is a great spokesperson for this partnership and we thank new partners Tommy Baldwin Racing and Go Canada Motorsports for helping us spread the message to the NASCAR fan base and creating more buzz among the audience we are trying to reach with this message.”

OHS & Yeley have a full schedule of fan activities including the OHS exhibit in the Monster Mile Fan Zone all weekend long. OHS staff will be giving out t-shirts to those who attempt to ride the Tipsy Tricycle around an obstacle course while wearing DUI goggles that simulate impairment. All those 21 years and older are invited to participate.  Fans can watch Yeley demo the Tipsy Trike on Trackside, hosted by Krista Voda, on SPEED TV Friday night.

Saturday Yeley will debut the # 27 Drive Sober. Arrive Alive DE Chevrolet with GCMI in the ‘OneMain Financial 200’ NASCAR Nationwide Series race.   After the race Yeley will meet up with fans again in the Dover Downs Casino Colonnade to sign autographs from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.  Special giveaways will be available to fans.

Then Sunday, Yeley will be back in the FanZone to sign autographs from 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.  and then race fans around the Tipsy Tricycle course before jumping into the #36 Drive Sober. Arrive Alive DE Chevrolet with TBR in the ‘AAA 400’ NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

The partnership between OHS and J.J. Yeley began at the 2011 Dover May race where Yeley was a guest speaker at the 10^th Anniversary kick off of the Click It or Ticket campaign to promote seat belt use.

“J.J. has been such a great supporter of traffic safety and we really enjoy working with him to promote our campaigns at both the spring and fall races at the Monster Mile,” said Alison Kirk, Community Relations Officer for OHS. “Having the opportunity to work with TBR and GCMI to bring our messages to such a large audience and to really get the fans involved in the activities is what this is all about. We hope to continue to partner with J.J. and NASCAR teams in the future to keep spreading traffic safety messages.”

For a full list of OHS race weekend activity visit www.ohs.delaware.gov/pdfs/2012/2012_Monster_Mile_Fall_Race_Weekend_Schedule.pdf or follow OHS on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DEHighwaySafe and J.J. Yeley at www.twitter.com/jjyeley1 and Like OHS on Facebook www.facebook.com/ArriveAliveDE and J.J. Yeley Offical Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/JJ-Yeley-Official/188904204467053. For OHS Drive Sober campaign updates visit www.DUIrealtime.com.

About Tommy Baldwin Racing: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Crew Chief Tommy Baldwin formed Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) in 2009. Baldwin utilized a declining economy to open a NSCS team with a stringent budget. The team worked to build to full-time competition, and by the 2011 season, the team’s third season, TBR competed in every race and locked the No. 36 Chevrolet in the top-35 in NSCS Owner Points. Dave Blaney drove the No. 36 Chevrolet to TBR’s highest finish of third in the October 2011 event at Talladega Superspeedway. TBR also fielded a second car for select races in the past two seasons with multiple drivers.

Based in Mooresville, N.C., TBR will compete in the NSCS in 2012 with NASCAR veterans David Reutimann and Dave Blaney. The team will also compete in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with Ryan Blaney, Bobby Santos and Ryan Truex.

For more information on Tommy Baldwin Racing, visit tommybaldwinracing.com or follow us on Facebook, facebook.com/TBR.HBR, and Twitter, twitter.com/TBR_Racing

About GC Motorsports International: GC Motorsports Inc was formed in 2011 when Canadian businessman Steve Meehan purchased the assets of the #27 NASCAR Nationwide Series team that had previously competed under both the names Brewco Motorsports and GCMI. The team collectively has over 800 series starts, 10 wins, 70 top fives, and 183 top ten finishes. Since 1995 the team has featured drivers such as Greg Biffle, David Ragan, Bobby Labonte, Jamie McMurray, Michael Waltrip, Ken Schrader, Ward Burton, Scott Wimmer, Casey Atwood, Johnny Sauter, Nelson Piquet Jr. and Robby Gordon.

For more information on GC Motorsports, email Matt Crews at mcrews@fullcircle360.com.

DOVER – In his weekly message, taped at the new Dover Public Library, the Governor talks about libraries as not only learning centers, but job centers.

“With support from state lawmakers, our Delaware libraries are receiving the funding they need to modernize and grow, making them among the best in the country,” said Governor Markell.  “Our libraries  are not only real hubs for information-sharing with e-books and e-magazines, wireless technology and computers, but they are also places that are helping people find jobs.  The best thing about the library is: it’s free.”

At noon every Friday, the Governor’s office releases a new Weekly Message in video, audio, and transcript form.  The message is available on:

YouTube: http://youtu.be/-LA9OzNasJM
Delaware.Gov: http://governor.delaware.gov/information/podcast_video.shtml
By email: Please contact our press team to subscribe to our press list
Facebook: www.facebook.com/governormarkell
Twitter: www.twitter.com/governormarkell

Transcript of the Governor’s Weekly Message: Libraries as Job Centers – and more.

Education isn’t just happening in our classrooms. It’s happening in our communities.

This week, I had the privilege of celebrating the grand opening of our new Dover Public Library. With support from state lawmakers, our Delaware libraries are receiving the funding they need to modernize and grow, making them among the best in the country. Our libraries are not only real hubs for information-sharing with e-books and e-magazines, wireless technology and computers, but they are also places that are helping people find jobs.

The Job Center at Delaware Libraries offers job seekers and “career changers” help with resume writing, cover letters, job applications, interview preparation and career counseling – all part of helping equip people with the skills they need for success. The best thing about the library is: it’s free. Job Centers are helping hundreds of people here in Dover as well as in Seaford, Georgetown and Wilmington. Potential entrepreneurs who want to know more about starting a business will find regular workshops to help them navigate their decisions. If you haven’t been to your library lately, you might be surprised at how much it’s changed.

Maybe you remember a time as a child, when you realized the magic of books and thus, you know the importance of libraries – a place where everyone is welcome and free to explore. When Carla and I read the first story to children in the program room of this new library, I thought about the books I liked to read as a youngster, and how some of those stories inspired me with my education.

We want our young people to enjoy spending time reading, discovering more about the world around them. Our libraries offer information and assistance and play an important role in education, not only during school years, but in lifelong learning and– we know this one will be around for a long time to come. Whether you’re searching for a particular book, researching for a particular project or hoping for a particular job, we’re making our Delaware libraries relevant places for everyone, as we work to keep Delaware moving forward.