Two separate investigations by the Delaware Department of Justice’s Child Predator Task Force has resulted in the arrests of two men.

In the first case, an undercover investigation by the Child Predator Task Force led to the arrest of a Maryland man working as a martial arts instructor in Delaware under a false name in an apparent attempt to hide his identity as a registered sex offender.

On February 27, 37-year-old James Blankenship Jr., of Barclay, Maryland, was arrested after being extradited back to Delaware.

Late last year, the Task Force believes Blankenship began a chat conversation with an undercover investigator on a social network, then moved the conversation to texting. In ensuing conversations, the person being communicated with was told numerous times he was communicating with an underage boy, which he indicated that he was okay with.

An investigation into Blankenship revealed that he had a prior Maryland conviction in 2006 for sexual abuse of a minor, and was employed as a Maryland certified police officer at the time of that arrest. The investigation also revealed Blankenship was an active martial arts instructor in Delaware, using the alias name of Mark Hafer to avoid detection as a registered sex offender.

Blankenship was charged with two counts of sexual solicitation of a minor. He was arraigned and taken to the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center, held on $100,000.00 cash bail.

On March 10, the Child Predator Task Force, with the assistance of a Delaware State Trooper, executed a search warrant at 1223 Kynlyn Drive in Wilmington, related to an investigation into the distribution of child pornography on the Internet.

When the search warrant was executed, detectives found 29-year-old Samuel Diamond, who said he lived alone in the home, and owned all of the computers and electronic devices in the residence. Detectives recovered several computers, external hard drives, and other electronic media evidence, that during a forensic preview, showed more than 25 images/videos of child pornography.

Diamond was charged with 25 counts of Dealing in Child Pornography. He was arraigned and ordered held on a secure bond of $500,000.00 at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center pending further court action.

Attorney General Matt Denn recently joined with 42 of his counterparts in asking the CEOs of nine oil companies to eliminate any synthetic drug sales from retail locations operating under their brand names.

Synthetic drugs started appearing in gas stations, tobacco shops and liquor stores over the last seven years. In 2010, more than 11,000 people nationally – many of whom were younger than 17 – went to the emergency room after using synthetic marijuana, and in 2011 the number was more than 28,000.

“The impact and dangerousness of synthetic drugs has become clear in Delaware. In 2011, a man high on the synthetic drug known as bath salts killed New Castle County Police Lt. Joseph Szczerba,” Attorney General Denn said. “Delaware lawmakers passed legislation making bath salts illegal following that incident, but new varieties of synthetic drugs continue to be created, and none of them should be available at stores in Delaware or anywhere.”

The contents and effects of synthetic drugs are unpredictable due to a changing variety of chemicals used in manufacturing processes that are devoid of quality controls and regulatory oversight.
The letter asks company officials to prohibit franchisees from selling any synthetic drugs, revoke the franchisee/franchisor relationship with any gas station or convenience store that sells any kind of synthetic drug, and report to local law enforcement if they learn that any franchisee is selling synthetic drugs.

Companies receiving the letter with the request from the state Attorneys General included BP, Phillips 66, Chevron, Shell, Citgo, Sunoco, Exxon Mobil, Valero, and Marathon Petroleum.

The state and territorial Attorneys General offices that signed the letter are: Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

WILMINGTON, DE – Attorney General Matt Denn released the second annual report on compliance by Delaware schools with state anti-bullying laws today. The report analyzes the implementation by the Department of Education, school districts, and charter schools of significant changes that were made to the state’s bullying statutes in 2012.

The report finds that the state’s efforts to require schools to communicate with parents about bullying incidents are showing success, but that the state’s evidence-gathering practices regarding bullying are in need of reform and that school districts and charter schools are not consistently complying with their obligation to direct students and parents to help when bullying occurs.

The report notes that there were 11% fewer substantiated bullying incidents reported in the 2013-2014 school year than in the 2012-2013 school year, but questions about the reliability of the state’s bullying statistics make it difficult to gauge whether a real reduction in bullying of that amount occurred.

“It is encouraging to see the progress our schools have made in keeping parents informed about bullying, because that was one of the primary goals of the 2012 legislation,” said Attorney General Denn who co-authored the 2012 legislation as Lieutenant Governor. “But our schools clearly have more work to do in letting parents know what recourse they have when bullying does occur, and the state needs to do a better job accurately tracking bullying incidents so we can accurately monitor our overall progress.”

In addition to conclusions highlighted in the report, the document proposes recommendations for moving forward, including:

(a) That the state revise its system for tabulating reported and substantiated bullying incidents so that data the legislature intended to gather can be accurately tabulated.
(b) That the state more uniformly educate and monitor the reporting practices of districts and charter schools so that incidents and data are properly reported on a consistent basis.
(c) That school districts and charter schools ensure that contact information for the state’s bullying ombudsman is prominently displayed on their web sites, and that the Delaware Code be revised to provide specific enforcement provisions for this statutory requirement.
(d) That the Department of Education continue to emphasize reporting of bullying incidents to parents of both victims and perpetrators.

“Delaware students, parents, and educators share genuine concerns about bullying–in-school bullying, bullying outside of school, and especially, the rise in bullying on social media,” said Frederika Jenner, President of the Delaware State Education Association. “We appreciate the attention that has been brought to these concerns, as well as efforts from the AG’s office to both curtail and monitor bullying. All progress is welcomed and celebrated.”

“We are pleased with the progress the state has made in addressing the issue of bullying in our schools,” said Dr. Terri Hodges, President of the Delaware PTA. “The findings and recommendations are consistent with the changes we have seen in the schools, as well as the reports we receive from parents in regards to how incidents of bullying are handled.”

You can view the entire report here: http://www.attorneygeneral.delaware.gov/documents/2015_anti-bullying-laws.pdf

WILMINGTON, DE – Deputy Attorneys General within the Delaware Department of Justice had several significant successes recently.

Convictions:

Deputy Attorney General Periann Doko won a guilty verdict against Naees Beeks, 20, of Wilmington, for aggravated menacing, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and carrying a concealed deadly weapon. Beeks and his girlfriend’s step-father began arguing after the step-father asked Beeks to leave his home. After the argument moved outside, the step-father noticed a man, identified as “Cook” leaning on Beeks’s car, and recognized him as the man who previously shot him. When the victim confronted Cook, both Cook and Beeks pulled out guns.

Resolutions:

Deputy Attorney General Michael Degliobizzi secured a drug dealing plea against Keyirre “Goggles” Bradley, 25, of Wilmington. Officers conducting a drug investigation noticed Bradley conducting numerous drug transactions. Officers applied for, and were granted, several search warrants. Upon executing the warrants, officers located a clear plastic sandwich bag containing 4.5 grams of marijuana, and a children’s Spiderman lunchbox which contained 248 bags of heroin.

Deputy Attorney General Jan van Amerongen secured a guilty plea from Candido Tepoz, 29, of Newark, for unlawful sexual contact and criminal impersonation. Tepoz sexually assaulted a 19-year-old University of Delaware student after luring her to his car by offering her a ride last November. He was sentenced to 12 months in prison and could face deportation to Mexico.

Deputy Attorney General Jenna Milecki secured pleas to second and third degree burglary against James Hutchinson, 26, of Delaware City. Hutchinson entered unlocked vehicles and then used garage door openers to gain access to homes, where he stole a wallet, credit cards, a GPS, and a television set.

Sentencings:

Deputy Attorney General Cindy Faraone secured a 15 year prison sentence for Wendall Chambers, 35, of Newark, relating to the sale of heroin. Wilmington Police Officers observed the defendant who was sitting in the passenger seat of a parked vehicle conduct a hand-to-hand drug transaction. After approaching the car, police noticed wrappers and plastic bags containing a total of 396 zip lock bags all containing an off-white powder substance that later tested positive for heroin. Chambers was declared a habitual under 11 Del. C. Section 4214(a).

Deputy Attorneys General Kate Keller and Jamie McCloskey secured a 10 year prison sentence against Andrew Tucker, 56, of Elkton, Maryland, for two counts of second degree burglary, two counts of theft, and two counts of illegal use of a debit card. In August 2013, Tucker entered two different homes in Newark, and stole wallets, credit cards, and a laptop computer. Tucker was declared habitual under 11 Del. C. Section 4214(a).

Deputy Attorneys General Zach Rosen and Dave Holloway secured a seven year prison sentence against Luis Garcia-Valle, 23, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for drug dealing, despite his having no previous criminal record. After being stopped for traffic violations in May 2014, a K9 officer indicated the presence of drugs in the car Garcia-Valle was driving. State Troopers found more than 13,000 bags of heroin in a secret compartment in the trunk of the car.

Deputy Attorneys General Julie Finocchiaro and Phil Casale secured a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence against 18-year old Dion Bacon of Wilmington, for escape after conviction, possession of a firearm by a person prohibited, and carrying a concealed deadly weapon. Bacon had been serving a sentence at a juvenile facility in PA for dealing heroin, when he failed to return after earning a home pass in February 2014. About a month later, Bacon was arrested with another teenager after being found smoking marijuana in a parked car. A search of the vehicle turned up a loaded .9mm gun.

Deputy Attorneys General Brian Robertson and Sonia Augusthy secured a life sentence for Darcell Coleman, 31, of Wilmington, for the May 2013 murder of Marvin Moore. Moore had a child with a woman who had become Coleman’s girlfriend. The two had a fight over the woman the evening of the shooting.

Deputy Attorney General Brian Robertson secured an 11 ½-year prison term for Kyran Jones, 18, of Newark, for a robbery and shooting committed when Jones was 17 years old. Jones arranged to meet his victim in a church parking lot in order to sell the victim drugs, however Jones decided to rob the victim instead, pulling out a gun and demanding money. When the victim resisted, Jones shot him four times.

Deputy Attorney General Brian Robertson secured an eight year sentence against Donald Greer, 37, of Wilmington for possession of a shotgun. Wilmington Police arrested Greer in May 2013 after an ongoing investigation. Greer, a convicted felon and drug offender was sentenced as a habitual offender.