Man charged in Oak Orchard home robbery
A Dover man faces charges and another man is sought after police say the two went to an Oak Orchard home Sept. 14 to rob the residents.
Marquise Bennett, 25, of Dover and another man went to the home in River Winds at 6:15 p.m. and confronted several people inside the home, said Sr. Cpl. Leonard DeMalto of the Delaware State Police.
Bennett and the other man demanded money and threatened to shoot the residents if they did not comply, DeMalto said. During the disturbance, he said, a concerned citizen approached the home to see what was happening. He confronted the two suspects, and one of them shot several rounds toward him and his vehicle, DeMalto said. The victim was not shot, but he suffered minor injuries from shattered windshield glass. Bennett and the other suspect then fled from the area on foot. It was later discovered that one of the rounds fired had struck a nearby residence occupied by two adults and three juveniles, DeMalto said. No one in the home was injured.
Bennett was found after police and the Delaware State Police Aviation Unit searched the surrounding area. He was taken into custody without incident. Police found about 27.67 grams of marijuana on him, and records showed that he was a convicted felon prohibited from possessing firearms.
Bennett was transported to Troop 4 and charged with two counts first-degree robbery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, felony first-degree burglary, three counts felony aggravated menacing, six counts first-degree reckless endangering, three counts endangering the welfare of a child, possession of a firearm by a person prohibited, second-degree conspiracy, possession of marijuana and two counts terroristic threatening.
Bennett was arraigned at Justice of the Peace Court 3 and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution in default of $225,100 cash bond.
The second suspect remains unidentified at this time. The Delaware State Police Troop 4 Criminal Investigations Unit continues to investigate this case and asks anyone who witnessed this incident to contact Detective W. Saylor at 302-752-3897. Information may also be provided by contacting Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333 or delawarecrimestoppers.com.
