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Man charged in road rage incident near Lewes

July 31, 2021

A Wilmington man faces charges after police say he threatened another man July 30 during a road rage incident.

John Gillen, 56, followed another man at 2:31 a.m. into the parking lot of Home Depot on Route 1 and threw a lock at the man’s car while screaming at him, said Master Cpl. Heather Pepper of the Delaware State Police.

When troopers arrived on scene, she said, they detected a strong odor of alcohol on Gillen and conducted a driving under the influence investigation. Gillen was taken into custody, and while searching his vehicle, Pepper said, police found a makeshift shank about 11 inches long and an Ozark Trail hatchet about 14 inches long.

A computer search conducted revealed Gillen is a person prohibited from owning a deadly weapon and has two prior DUI convictions. He was taken into custody without incident and transported to Troop 7 where he was charged with possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, possession of a deadly weapon by a person prohibited, third DUI offense, disorderly conduct, and following motor vehicle too closely.

He was arraigned in the Justice of the Peace Court 3 and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution in default of $65,150 cash bond.

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