Wilmington – Attorney General Beau Biden’s office announced today that a Newark man arrested by the Delaware Child Predator Task Force last December following a proactive undercover online investigation into the distribution of child pornography received a ten-year prison sentence this morning.

During the Task Force investigation, detectives obtained multiple files containing child pornography from a subject in Delaware. After the source of the files was tracked to the residence of Andrew J. Alvarez on Leader Drive in Newark, Task Force detectives, along with a uniformed Trooper from DSP Troop #6, executed a search warrant at that location and recovered more than a dozen computers and multiple digital storage devices. A forensic review of the seized evidence detectives discovered 304 videos and images containing child pornography, some depicting children as young as two years of age. As a result of the investigation, Alvarez was arrested on December 5, 2013 and charged him with 25 counts of Dealing in Child Pornography. The continuing investigation revealed that Alvarez was a member of an online peer-to-peer network that he used to download child pornography and through which images that he maintained would have been accessible to other predators.

Alvarez pled guilty earlier this year to two counts of Dealing in Child Pornography. Today at sentencing in New Castle County Superior Court, Resident Superior Court Judge Richard R. Cooch sentenced Alvarez to a ten year prison sentence. Judge Cooch indicated that he imposed a sentence far above the minimum four years required by law in order to protect the public, reduce offenders’ access to collections of child pornography through online networks, and send a clear message that the State of Delaware will not tolerate those who are participate in the distribution of child pornography.

Alvarez has been held at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center since his arrest in lieu of $1.25 million secured bail. The case was prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Abigail Layton, co-director of the Delaware Child Predator Task Force.

Biden’s office also announced today that a separate online investigation by the Delaware Child Predator Task Force into the distribution of child pornography resulted in the arrest of a Millsboro man earlier this month. During its investigation, detectives identified a residence in the 32000 block of Long Neck Boulevad in Millsboro, and executed a search warrant at that location on September 4. During the search a resident of the address, Luke C. Morley, age 21, was identified and taken to DSP Troop #4 and detectives seized a Samsung smartphone belonging to the suspect. A forensic review of the device revealed multiple files containing child pornography, and as a result of the investigation Morley was charged with eight counts of Dealing in Child Pornography. He was arraigned via video phone by JP Court #2 and was taken to Sussex Correctional Institution in lieu of $200,000 cash bail. The Delaware Child Predator Task Force investigation continues. A booking image of Morley is attached

# # #

DOVER – In his weekly message, Governor Markell highlights a new partnership in Delaware focused on reducing college remediation rates.

“Delaware must be a leader in addressing this challenge and we’re taking an important step this year by launching a new math course in three high schools,” said Governor Markell. “It’s designed with input from our higher education community, so that we can guarantee that if students successfully complete the course, they will be able to earn credits for all of their math courses in our colleges.”

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

YouTube: http://youtu.be/gXOyuJUCrS4
Delaware.Gov: http://governor.delaware.gov/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

FULL TEXT OF MESSAGE

We’re proud Delaware has been recognized for eliminating obstacles for students who want to attend college. But that effort will only produce the results we want if students successfully complete their post-secondary education. Thanks to a partnership with our colleges and universities we now have data to understand better than ever the academic obstacles facing students who pursue a two or four year degree.

One pitfall is clear: too many students are required to enroll in “remedial courses” to relearn what they should have mastered in high school. They invest time and money in those courses, but earn no college credit, making no progress towards graduation. Unsurprisingly, these students have higher college costs and are far less likely to earn a degree. Nationally, only a quarter of community college students who take a remedial course graduate within eight years. This problem is pervasive nationwide, affecting as many as fifty percent of students at some schools. The numbers are highest for low-income students and students of color.

Delaware must be a leader in addressing this challenge and we’re taking an important step this year by launching a new math course in three high schools. It’s designed with input from our higher education community, so that we can guarantee that if students successfully complete the course, they will be able to earn credits for all of their math courses in our colleges. We must expand this program and continue working on solutions to end the dead-end cycle of remediation for Delaware students.

By ensuring Delaware students arrive at college ready to pursue a degree without paying to repeat high school classes, we’ll keep Delaware moving forward.

We’re proud Delaware has been recognized for eliminating obstacles for students who want to attend college. But that effort will only produce the results we want if students successfully complete their post-secondary education. Thanks to a partnership with our colleges and universities we now have data to understand better than ever the academic obstacles facing students who pursue a two or four year degree.

One pitfall is clear: too many students are required to enroll in “remedial courses” to relearn what they should have mastered in high school. They invest time and money in those courses, but earn no college credit, making no progress towards graduation. Unsurprisingly, these students have higher college costs and are far less likely to earn a degree. Nationally, only a quarter of community college students who take a remedial course graduate within eight years. This problem is pervasive nationwide, affecting as many as fifty percent of students at some schools. The numbers are highest for low-income students and students of color.

Delaware must be a leader in addressing this challenge and we’re taking an important step this year by launching a new math course in three high schools. It’s designed with input from our higher education community, so that we can guarantee that if students successfully complete the course, they will be able to earn credits for all of their math courses in our colleges. We must expand this program and continue working on solutions to end the dead-end cycle of remediation for Delaware students.

By ensuring Delaware students arrive at college ready to pursue a degree without paying to repeat high school classes, we’ll keep Delaware moving forward.

Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin in 1809. His son died in a mansion 117 years later. In those years, the country endured a series of dramatic changes which forever altered the course of American history. However, no family paid a more dramatic price. On Saturday, October 4, at 10:30 a.m., historian Daniel Pritchett will explore this famous American family at the Delaware Public Archives in a program titled “The Lincolns: Portrait of a Family.” Lincoln and Mary Todd, who met in 1839 and married in 1842, seemed at first glance to have nothing in common. Yet, their marriage was probably the most consequential in American history. When the Lincolns came to the White House two decades later, the country was in the midst of its greatest crisis. This presentation will focus on this improbable pair, their four sons, and the heartbreaking series of tragedies that struck the family before, during, and after the Civil War.

Daniel Pritchett has taught American history since 1969, when he moved from West Virginia to take a position with the Capital School District in Dover. After retiring in 2003, he worked for five years as an adjunct professor at Delaware State University. He presently teaches at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and is a speaker for the Delaware Humanities Forum.

The program is free to the public and will last approximately one hour. No reservations are required. For more information, contact Tom Summers (302) 744-5047 or e-mail thomas.summers@delaware.gov.

For information about the Delaware Public Archives, please visit the website at http://archives.delaware.gov. You can also become a follower of the Archives Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/DelawarePublicArchives), follow @DEPublicArchive on Twitter (https://twitter.com/DEPublicArchive), and read the Archives blog (http://archives.blogs.delaware.gov/) to learn more about events and other items of interest at the Archives.
The Delaware Public Archives is located at 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard North in Dover. The Mabel Lloyd Ridgely Research Room is open to the public Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. On the second Saturday of every month the research room is open from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

The Delaware Public Archives (DPA, archives.delaware.gov), an agency of the State of Delaware, is one of the oldest public archives programs in the United States. DPA serves the citizens of Delaware by identifying, collecting, and preserving public records of enduring historical and evidential value; ensuring access to public records for present and future generations; and advising and educating interested parties in the creation, management, use, and preservation of public records.

-END-

Dover – The Delaware Attorney General’s office announced that on September 24, 20 year-old Joshua Cathell received a 30-year prison sentence for the October, 2012 shooting death of 40 year-old Isidro Hernandez inside the home Cathell shared with the victim in Dover’s Oak Grove Estates Mobile Home Community.

The victim’s body was discovered inside his home on October 16, 2012 after he failed to appear at work for several days, and Cathell was arrested by Delaware State Police on October 19, 2012. The investigation revealed that Cathell shot and killed Hernandez at point-blank range during an argument. Cathell pled guilty to one count each of Murder 2nd Degree and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony on ¬¬¬¬April 22, 2014. Following a pre-sentence investigation, Kent County Superior Court Judge William L. Witham, Jr. sentenced Cathell yesterday to 25 years in prison for the Murder charge and 5 years in prison for the firearm charge. Cathell has remained in custody since his 2012 arrest.

# # #