Troopers Arrest Wilmington Man for Felony DUI and Aggravated Menacing

Date Posted: Monday, September 9th, 2024

Delaware State Police have arrested 47-year-old Charles Smedley of Wilmington, Delaware, for aggravated menacing and weapon offenses after he caused a disturbance at a construction site Thursday afternoon in Middletown.

On September 4, 2024, at approximately 2:10 p.m., troopers responded to a construction site in the area of Pennfield Drive and Port Penn Road in Middletown, for a report of a man causing a disturbance while armed with a weapon resembling a machete. Responding troopers observed the suspect as he was attempting to leave the construction site in a Chevrolet truck and conducted a traffic stop. Troopers made contact with the driver, identified as Charles Smedley.

In the ensuing investigation, troopers learned Smedley began arguing with one of his former co-workers after he was fired from the construction site. During the argument, Smedley pushed the 24-year-old victim into a construction machine, which then led to a physical altercation between the two. Shortly after the physical altercation ended, Smedley grabbed a large sharp object that resembled a machete from the bed of his truck and held it at his side as he approached the victim in a menacing manner. The victim walked away from Smedley while his co-workers intervened to keep them separated.

Throughout their contact with Smedley, troopers observed multiple signs of impairment, including the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath. During the investigation, troopers conducted a search of Smedley's truck, which led to the discovery of a large piece of sharp metal in the bed of the truck, several empty containers of alcoholic beverages, and several unopened containers of alcoholic beverages. Smedley was subsequently taken into custody without incident.

Smedley was taken to Troop 9, where troopers administered Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. A computer inquiry revealed Smedley has 2 prior DUI-related convictions, and is a convicted felon prohibited from possessing a deadly weapon. He was charged with the crimes listed below, arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 11, and committed to Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on a $50,000 cash bond.

• Possession of a Deady Weapon During the Commission of a Felony (Felony)
• Aggravated Menacing (Felony)
• Possession of a Deadly Weapon by a Person Prohibited (Felony)
• 3^rd Offense DUI (Felony)

View All News Posts

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.