Lewes man charged in Pinetown, West Rehoboth incidents
A Lewes man who had been sought by police now faces charges in connection with home invasions in Pinetown and West Rehoboth.
Jhareed A. Ayers, 21, of Lewes, was wanted by Troop 4 Major Crimes in connection with a Dec. 16 home invasion on Needle Drive near Lewes. Police say Ayers and two other men entered the home and assaulted a man, 57, said Master Cpl. Gary Fournier of the Delaware State Police. The man was hit in the back of the head, and the men fled with $1,500 in cash from a safe, Fournier said. Three children, ages 7, 4 and 3, were in the house at the time but were uninjured. In the second incident, Fournier said, Ayers went Dec. 22 to a home on Duffy Street in West Rehoboth where he pulled a gun on a man, 53, and forced him to knock on the door of a home. When a nearby car alarm went off, he said, Ayers and an unknown man fled the scene.
Members of the Sussex County Governor’s Task Force assisted by the First State Fugitive Task Force and Delaware State Police Special Operations Response Team spotted Ayers in the rear seat of a Hyundai at 4 p.m., Jan. 13 as the car traveled on Route 9 near Cool Springs, police said. When the car pulled into the parking lot of the Dollar General at 28168 Lewes Georgetown Highway, Fournier said, Ayers was taken into custody without incident. Once Ayers was in custody, he said, police found 117 bags of heroin weighing 0.819 grams and about 2 grams of crack cocaine on him.
The front-seat passenger, Jaliel Perry, 18, of Lincoln, was wanted on three failure-to-appear capiases issued by Sussex Family Court. He was also taken into custody without incident and found to be in possession of about 2 grams of crack cocaine along with one ecstasy pill. The driver, an 18-year-old woman, was released and not charged.
Ayers and Perry were transported to Troop 7 in Lewes where Ayers was charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, first-degree burglary, aggravated menacing, possession of a deadly weapon by a person prohibited, theft over $1,500, second-degree conspiracy, three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and drug charges. He was committed to Sussex Correctional Institution in default of $353,300 cash bond.
Perry faces multiple drug charges and was given a $10,400 unsecured bond but was committed to Sussex Correctional Institution in default of $800 secured bond due to his outstanding capiases, Fournier said.
One of the suspects involved in the home invasion on Needle Drive has been identified as James R. Ayers, 20, of Lewes, and police are currently searching for him. A third suspect has yet to be identified. Anyone with information on James Ayers’ location is asked to contact Detective C. Simpson at 302-752-3855. Information may also be provided by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333 or at delawarecrimestoppers.com.
