Man with weapons on beach has criminal past

A Maryland man whose abandoned pickup truck was found full of weapons on Lewes Beach Sept. 23 had a criminal history in Maryland and Virginia, where he is a convicted felon, records state.

In this latest incident, Alexander Gard, 30, was charged with five counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and six counts of possession of a firearm or ammunition by a person prohibited due to prior violent felony crime. He was arraigned and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution in default of $65,000 secured bail. He has an arraignment set in the Sussex County Court of Common Pleas Thursday, Oct. 2.

A review of Maryland court records shows a string of traffic citations and a closed case May 12 out of the Talbot County District Domestic Violence Court. Delaware court records state Gard, who had a Havre de Grace address, was on probation in Maryland, and he was a convicted felon in Virginia for fleeing police in June 2021.

Lewes police first contacted Gard at 12:30 a.m., Sept. 23, in the 400 block of E. Savannah Road for a report of a man possibly suffering from mental health issues. At the time, police said Gard told them he was looking for his truck, which had allegedly been stolen hours earlier from the Wawa on Route 1. Police said Gard declined to report the vehicle stolen, and told police he would contact a friend to pick him up.

About 6 a.m., Lewes police responded to the beach off Savannah Road for a report of an unoccupied Ford Ranger stuck in the sand. The tags had been removed, and the tool to remove the tags was sitting on the bumper of the pickup truck. Gard’s Maryland driver’s license was eventually found in the glove box of the vehicle. Police Chief Thomas Spell previously said the pickup was full of belongings. Court records state a dog was found outside the vehicle, which smelled of “burnt marijuana.”

Also found inside the pickup was an array of weapons and ammunition including a Winchester shotgun, a Stag 15 rifle with scope, three handguns — a Walther and two Sig Sauers – a wooden bow, a Katana sword and sheath, three 6-inch fixed-blade throwing knives, brass knuckles and a K-Bar-style fixed-blade knife.

According to court records, Gard’s probation officer said he was “not to be in possession of any dangerous weapons or firearms without express permission from the courts.”

“We searched his vehicle, and there were no letters or a manifesto, so we don’t think there was any plan for an active shooting,” Spell said following Gard’s arrest.

Nonetheless, Cape Henlopen School District placed Lewes schools in secure status and Beebe Healthcare increased security until Gard was apprehended.

Through a review of social media posts, police said Gard was found at an AirBnB on Minos Conaway Road outside Lewes.