Car theft probe in western Sussex County ends with arrests of Seaford man Bridgeville teen and gun drug suspect
BRIDGEVILLE, DE – A string of driveway vehicle thefts across western Sussex County led state police to a Bridgeville property where a Seaford man and a Bridgeville teen were taken into custody and a third suspect was charged after investigators said they found a rifle, heroin, and drug items in a shed.
Delaware State Police said troopers and detectives began investigating earlier this month after multiple vehicles were stolen or targeted in the Blades, Bridgeville, Laurel, and Seaford areas. Many of the vehicles were described as KIA and Hyundai models. Police said some were taken from unlocked driveways while others were locked and stolen without keys. Several vehicles have been recovered.
Investigators said public tips and investigative work helped identify 22-year-old Antwoine Savage of Seaford and a 16-year-old male from Bridgeville as suspects, and warrants were obtained.
On Friday, members of the Sussex County Governor’s Task Force went to a residence in the 12000 block of Jones Dogwood Drive in Bridgeville to locate both suspects. Police said the 16-year-old was seen in the front yard and taken into custody without incident. Detectives said they then heard someone inside a shed and identified that person as 20-year-old Lamir Faison of Bridgeville, who was described as a probationer.
Police said detectives observed drug paraphernalia inside the shed while speaking with Faison, and he was detained without incident. Savage was contacted at the residence and also taken into custody without incident.
At the request of the task force, Probation and Parole conducted an administrative search of the shed where Faison was staying. Police said probation officers located multiple caliber rifle parts including a lower receiver, about 4.53 grams of heroin, and items described as drug paraphernalia with cocaine residue, along with a digital scale, baking soda, Pyrex containers, and plastic bags, spoons, and forks with cocaine residue.
Police said the 16-year-old was taken to Troop 4, charged, arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 2, and released to a parent or guardian on his own recognizance.
The 16-year-old was charged with four counts of felony theft of a motor vehicle, three counts of felony attempted theft of a motor vehicle, seven counts of felony conspiracy second degree, multiple counts of criminal mischief, and seven counts of third-degree criminal trespass.
Savage was taken to Troop 4, charged, arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 2, and released on his own recognizance. His charges included felony theft of a motor vehicle, felony attempted theft of a motor vehicle, two counts of felony conspiracy second degree, two counts of criminal mischief between $1,000 and $5,000, and two counts of third-degree criminal trespass.
Faison was taken to Troop 4, charged, arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 2, and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on a $146,600 cash bond. Charges included possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, carrying a concealed deadly weapon firearm, multiple felony drug offenses, and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Key Points
- State police arrested Antwoine Savage, 22, and a 16-year-old in a western Sussex County vehicle theft investigation
- A third suspect, Lamir Faison, 20, was charged after police said a probation search found rifle parts, heroin, and drug items in a shed
- Savage and the teen were released on recognizance, while Faison was committed on a $146,600 cash bond