Seaford man charged in string of Sussex County home construction burglaries
Sussex County, DE – A 57-year-old Seaford man has been arrested and charged in connection with a series of burglaries targeting homes under construction in Sussex County, where refrigerators were removed or damaged, according to Delaware State Police.
James Deshields was taken into custody Tuesday following a months long investigation into multiple break-ins reported in September. Troopers said the suspect entered residences under construction and removed or attempted to remove refrigerators. In several cases, water lines connected to the appliances were cut, causing additional damage inside the homes.
The Sussex County Criminal Investigations Unit assumed the cases and identified a Honda CRV seen at several scenes. Detectives later identified Deshields as a suspect. Investigators also learned that Georgetown Police and Seaford Police were investigating similar incidents.
On September 23, Deshields was arrested on an unrelated matter. While he was in custody, detectives obtained a DNA search warrant to compare his DNA with evidence collected from one of the burglary scenes. Police said he resisted when detectives attempted to collect the sample, but it was ultimately obtained and submitted to the Division of Forensic Science.
Earlier this month, forensic results linked Deshields to the burglaries, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Deshields was arrested without incident and transported to Troop 4. He was charged with three counts of burglary second degree, three counts of theft of $1,500 or greater, one count of attempted theft of $1,500 or greater, conspiracy second degree, resisting arrest, three counts of criminal mischief under $1,000 and criminal trespass second degree.
He was arraigned in Justice of the Peace Court 2 and released on a $27,500 unsecured bond.
A trail of damaged refrigerators in unfinished homes has now led to felony charges against a Seaford man.
Key Points
- James Deshields, 57, was arrested in connection with multiple Sussex County burglaries
- Investigators linked him to the crimes through forensic DNA testing
- He faces multiple felony charges and was released on unsecured bond