DOVER – Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden asked the state legislature’s budget-writing committee on Monday to fund two critical priorities in Fiscal Year 2015, including two critical new positions in his office’s Child Predator Unit.

Biden first requested approximately $128,000 to fund salary increases for attorneys who have earned promotions within the Department of Justice’s career ladder. The raises, which reward attorneys for certain career advancements, have not been funded in four of the past seven years.

To toughen the fight against predators preying on children, Biden is seeking funding for a new investigator ($87,400) and a second prosecutor ($85,000). Since Biden helped launch the Child Predator Unit shortly after taking office in 2007, 184 predators have been convicted and 119 children have been rescued from situations where they were the victims of abuse or being groomed for future victimization.

The Child Predator Unit is experiencing a significant increase in its caseload and those cases are growing more complex as predators become more sophisticated in searching for potential victims and attempting to hide their conduct. In calendar year 2013, the Unit made 51 arrests after averaging 42 in 2012 and 2011. The Unit’s prosecutor, Abigail Layton, secured 34 convictions in 2013 – the Unit secured 28 in 2012 and 27 in 2011. The number of hard drives that the Unit’s investigators have examined increased 92 percent from 2008 to 2012.

“My grandfather used to say ‘show me your budget and I will show you your priorities,’” Biden said. “These budget requests reflect our priorities — rewarding talented attorneys for their public service and protecting Delaware’s children from the worst of society. The more resources we give to the Child Predator Unit, the more predators we will stop from hurting children and the safer we will make our kids.”

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Wilmington – A Delaware Child Predator Task Force investigation into the online distribution of child pornography has resulted in the arrest of a Bear-area man, Attorney General Beau Biden announced today.

“Our Child Predator Task Force continues to employ the latest investigative technology to successfully track down and arrest predators who pose a threat to kids in communities all over our state,” Attorney General Biden said.

During the investigation detectives tracked the distribution of child pornography to a Bear-area residence and yesterday, February 19, members of the Child Predator Task Force and a uniformed Trooper from DSP Troop #2 executed a search warrant at that residence, located in the 100 block of Honora Drive, Caravel Farms, in Bear.  During the search detectives identified 41 year-old Carlos Javier Arbelaez-Restrepo, a resident of the address, as a person of interest and transported him to Troop #2 for further investigation.  Detectives also recovered multiple computers and digital media storage devices and a forensic preview of the seized evidence revealed multiple images and videos of child pornography.

As a result of the investigation Arbelaez-Restrepo was arrested and charged with 25 counts of Dealing in Child Pornography.  He was arraigned via videophone by JP Court #2 and was taken to James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in lieu of $500,000 secured bail.

The Delaware Child Predator Task Force investigation continues.  Investigators ask members of the public who have seen suspicious activity in the vicinity of the residence (located near the intersection of Honora Drive and Heagy Court) to contact the Child Predator Task Force at (302) 739-2030.

A booking image of Arbelaez-Restrepo is attached.

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WILMINGTON – Earlier today, Delaware Lt. Governor Matt Denn and Deputy Attorney General Patricia Dailey Lewis, Director – Family Division, presented “Unfinished Business: Implementation By Delaware Public Schools Of The State’s 2012 Anti-Bullying Laws.”

This report is the first issued since the General Assembly passed two new laws related to bullying in the state’s public schools in 2012 – Senate Bill 193 (cyberbullying) and House Bill 268 (reporting).

The anti-bullying effort, spearheaded jointly by Lt. Governor Matt Denn and Attorney General Beau Biden, aimed to improve on existing laws created to protect every student.

A few basic conclusions from the report:

•  Public school districts, with few exceptions, have complied with the provisions of the state’s new cyberbullying laws and regulations.  The majority of charter schools are not yet in compliance.
• There remains significant variation in the diligence with which schools make reports to the parents of victims and perpetrators in bullying incidents. 
• The most prevalent reported causes of bullying in Delaware public schools are students’ physical appearance, student disability, and student gender identity. 

Held at Springer Middle, a school known for their impressive anti-bullying culture, the Lt. Governor and DAG Dailey Lewis were joined by Brandywine School District Superintendent Dr. Mark Holodick and Assistant Superintendent Dorrell Green, DSEA President Frederika Jenner, Department of Education School Climate and Discipline Associate John Sadowski, Roberta Gealt from the University of Delaware Center for Drug & Alcohol Studies, and representatives from Delaware PTA, Delaware Bullying Prevention Association, Prevent Child Abuse Delaware, Developmental Disabilities Council.

“”We hope that this report serves as a reminder to our schools of the importance of following the state’s new bullying laws,” said Lt. Governor Matt Denn.  “Bullying remains a real problem in our schools, and we need all of our schools to treat it seriously.”

“Children need safe, secure environments in schools where they can focus on learning,” said Patricia Dailey Lewis, who is the director of Attorney General Biden’s Family Division. “Bullying prevents kids from learning and can leave lifelong emotional scars. The legislation that Attorney General Biden and Lt. Gov. Denn developed in 2012 was designed to increase the reporting of bullying incidents so parents and educators can intervene. Schools are making significant progress, but there is still a lot more work ahead of us.”

Middletown – Attorney General Biden’s office announced today that a Middletown man has been arrested on child pornography charges following an undercover online investigation conducted by the Delaware Child Predator Task Force, with substantial assistance provided by the Middletown Police Department, a Task Force member agency.

During the investigation members of the Child Predator Task Force, Middletown Police detectives, and a uniformed Trooper from DSP Troop #9 executed a search warrant on January 28, 2014 at a residence in the 200 block of Loft Street, Fairways at Odessa National, in Townsend. During the search a person of interest, 18 year-old resident Jeremy J.K. Fiske, was identified and detectives seized multiple computers and other evidence. A forensic preview of the evidence performed at the Middletown Police Department revealed multiple files containing child pornography.

As a result of the investigation detectives arrested Fiske on January 28 and charged him with 25 counts of Dealing in Child Pornography. He was arraigned via videophone by JP Court #2 and was taken to James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in lieu of $500,000 cash bail.

The Delaware Child Predator Task Force investigation continues. A booking image of Fiske is attached.

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With the support of Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, the Delaware Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement (DATE) and the Delaware Division of Public Health, State Representative Deborah Hudson (R-Fairthorne) and Senator Patricia Blevins (D-Elsmere) today announced that they will be introducing legislation aimed at protecting Delaware youth against the potentially harmful effects of mechanical tobacco substitutes known as “electronic cigarettes” or “e-cigs.”

Under the bill, a person would be prohibited from selling or distributing these e-cigarettes – also defined as “tobacco substitutes” – to minors.  The bill also prohibits minors from purchasing the products.  State Representatives Michael Barbieri, Paul Baumbach, Debra Heffernan, Joe Miro and Mike Ramone are also co-prime sponsors of the legislation, which will be formally filed today.

E-cigarettes have become increasingly popular, with sales for e-cigarettes having doubled each year since 2008.  Only a few clinical studies have been conducted on e-cigarettes so far in which there is no definitive answer yet on the health effects of e-cigarettes, prompting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to state that consumers of e-cigarette products have no way of knowing “whether e-cigarettes are safe for their intended use, how much nicotine or other potentially harmful chemicals are being inhaled during use, or if there are any benefits associated with using these products.”

Additionally, in 2009, the FDA analyzed two brands of e-cigarettes and found that they did contain trace elements of hazardous compounds found in antifreeze.  As a result, 41 Attorneys General – including Delaware Attorney General Biden – urged the FDA last September to test and regulate e-cigarettes.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the percentage of U.S. high school and middle school students using e-cigarettes doubled between 2011 and 2012.  The National Youth Tobacco Survey shows that the percentage of high school students reporting ever using e-cigarettes jumped from 4.7 percent in 2011 to 10 percent in 2012 and an estimated 1.8 million young people are reported as trying e-cigarettes in 2012.  A recent study of Delaware students also found that, among students first smoking cigarettes, e-cigarette users are far more likely to continue smoking cigarettes than non e-cigarette users.

Rep. Hudson said, “Currently, it is legal for a 14-year-old to walk into a neighborhood store or gas station and buy an e-cigarette.  The unregulated product is being marketed to minors.  Some companies sell the vapor device with flavors of liquid nicotine in the cartridge, further appealing to our youth.  Flavors include cotton candy, bubble gum and fruit loops.”

Rep. Hudson further stated, “Until the FDA regulates the nicotine level and other additives, minors should be prohibited from this practice of ‘vaping.’  A secondary health issue is that e-cigs may be considered a ‘gateway drug’ due to the content of the liquid nicotine – a highly addictive product.”

Senator Blevins said, “Tobacco substitutes such as electronic cigarettes are becoming a very popular method of nicotine usage in the United States.  While they are often billed as safe alternatives to traditional cigarettes, the long term effects of e-cigarettes have not been determined.  What we do know is that nicotine is addictive.  By banning the sale and distribution of electronic cigarettes to minors, we can protect our youth from this addictive substance.  It’s time we took this step.”

Attorney General Biden said, “Keeping children from purchasing electronic cigarettes will protect their health.  The increase in the number of children who are using electronic cigarettes is concerning and we need to act.  Bright-colored packaging and sweet flavors cannot mask the dangerous and addictive substances found in electronic cigarettes.”

Delaware Division of Public Health Director Dr. Karyl Rattay stated, “Data show that high school students’ use of e-cigarettes has doubled over the course of a year.  E-cigarettes are addictive and contain known toxin and carcinogens.  We need to send a message that there is no such thing as a ‘safe’ tobacco product and ban e-cigarettes for minors just as we have banned cigarettes.”

DATE Director John Yeomans said, “The mission of the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement is to protect the health, safety and welfare of people in Delaware through the enforcement of state liquor and youth access to tobacco laws.  This revision to include e-cigarettes in our current tobacco laws will help reverse this trend and will allow DATE to continue our work in keeping tobacco and similar products out of the hands of Delaware’s youth.”

At least 27 states prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes to minors.

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