As a witness, I wanted to comment on your front page article "Sussex man charged after police chase," in the Dec. 6 edition about the two-hour police chase after Jorge Vasquez Dec. 4 through Sussex County.

I happened to be near the circle/roundabout at the end of Country Club Road when I heard sirens, a police helicopter overhead and then saw the entourage of police cars heading onto East Side Drive to Rehoboth Beach Country Club in chase of Mr. Vasquez.

Meanwhile, at the circle other police were busy preparing for Mr. Vasquez's return by, I thought, positioning vehicles to block the exit. After all, he was driving into a peninsula and would have to return to the circle since that's the only entry/exit point to the community. He was, in effect, trapped.

However, when Mr. Vasquez sped back he easily maneuvered around the circle, spike strips and police in his escape up the road and back to Route1 to Milton.

The article mentioned that Lt. Lawrence A. Grose of the Georgetown Police Department "could not say how Vasquez left the development." But, it seems obvious that he was able to escape because police did not properly seal off the single lane road with vehicles.

The question is why? Especially considering that he continued on to Milton, endangering people and property, before ultimately being "boxed in" which should have happened on Country Club Road.

I think Lieutenant Grose owes us a better explanation for the failed tactics.

Geary Foertsch
Rehoboth