News Briefs

After mistrial, state to retry man shot in home

The Attorney General’s Of­fice has decided to retry a Georgetown man on charges of assaulting a police officer who went to the man’s home to de­liver a traffic ticket. The arresting officer shot defendant Michael Rogers five times during the incident that led to his arrest. A mistrial was called in June after ju­rors could not agree on a verdict.

At the first trial, Rogers was charged with second­ degree assault of a police officer, a felony, and resisting arrest. However, during jury instruction, Sussex County Superior Court Judge T. Henley Graves dropped the original assault charge to third-degree assault, stating the prosecution failed to prove all elements of the original charge. Third-degree assault is a misde­meanor.

Rogers’ mother, Lorraine, said several jurors smiled at her when they were excused from jury duty, leading her to believe they thought her son was innocent.

“They don’t usually smile at you if they voted unfavorably,” she said. Rogers’ defense attor­ney Steve Norman said the new trial is scheduled to begin Mon­day, Nov. 17, in Sussex County Superior Court. Joe Rogalsky, spokesman for the Attorney Gen­eral’s Office, said Rogers will be tried on his original charges – second-degree assault of a police officer and resisting arrest.

Bicycle rodeo will promote cycling safety

The City of Lewes Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee in cooperation with the Lewes Police Department will hold a Bike Rodeo at the town’s Nation­al Night Out celebration Tuesday, Aug. 5, from 5 to 7 p.m. The rodeo will be set up in the parking lot on DuPont Avenue at George H. P. Smith Park. The rodeo is open to boys and girls of all ages. Bicycles and helmets will be pro­vided to all participants.

Awards will be given to all who complete the rodeo event. Mike Tyler, chairman of the Bi­cycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, said, “We hope par­ticipants will come away with an understanding of how to handle a bike and ride safely.” He noted they also will be giving away free helmets and fit them to cyclists young and old courtesy of Sussex Cyclists and DelDOT, which also will provide flashing pedestrian lights to aid those who walk af­ter dark and wish to be seen as they cross in the crosswalks.

He explained that this is a continu­ing effort for Lewes to maintain or improve its Bronze Level Bi­cycle Friendly Community status which was awarded to the city by the League of American Bicy­clists in 2012. A table will be set up at the rodeo by LBPAC com­mittee members who will fit and adjust helmets for cyclists. They will offer other related materials such as pedestrian light beacons, bicycle activity books, safety in­formation and the city’s recently released Bicycle and Pedestrian Friendly Map & Guide.

Sussex council awards nonprofit grants

Sussex County Council presented the following council­manic grants during its July 29 meeting: $2,000 to Clothing Our Kids to provide school clothes to children in need and $500 to Rehoboth Art League for its arts outreach programs.

Sussex County Council meeting on Aug. 5

Sussex County Council will meet at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Aug. 5, in the county administra­tion building on The Circle in Georgetown. Included on the agenda is a presentation from First State Community Action Agency. Included among the 1:30 p.m. public hearings is a request from Peninsula at Long Neck LLC to extend time to construct a golf clubhouse and an applica­tion from Cadbury at Lewes Inc. for a zoning change for five acres. See a complete agenda at sussex­countyde.gov.

Rehoboth to resume electric vehicle talks

The Rehoboth Beach commis­sioners will continue discussion on the potential for partnering in a statewide network of electric vehicle charging stations at the commissioners’ workshop, 9 a.m., Monday, Aug. 4, in the commis­sioners’ room. Discussion will be held with Dr. Willett Kempton of the University of Delaware’s Center for Carbon-Free Power Integration. The commissioners will continue discussion of the processes and conditions for merging and unmerging lots. The discussion will include a proposed ordinance amending the zoning code to clarify the mergers and unmergers of lots.

Milton Town Council to meet Aug. 4

Milton Town Council will dis­cuss a request for a commerical well at the Finish Line Car Wash when it meets at 6:30 p.m., Mon­day, Aug. 4, at Milton Public Library, 121 Union St. An open forum session will be held near the beginning of the meeting for public participation and input. Also on the agenda is an ordi­nance regarding snow removal and a Downtown Development District Initiative. To see the complete agenda go to Milton.delaware.gov.