No charges filed for mayhem on Rehoboth Avenue

Ten days ago, on July 7, a man backed out of a parking space on Rehoboth Avenue, the main street of Delaware's most popular resort. The driver struck another vehicle, failed to stop, and then struck numerous other cars before running through an intersection and running off the sidewalk. The mayhem ended when the man's truck struck a pole.

Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Co. spokesman Warren Jones said he'd never seen anything like it in all his years in Rehoboth. "It's amazing that no pedestrians got hurt considering the number of people walking around on the Avenue in July," Jones said.

Rehoboth police said five people, including the driver, went to the hospital, where all, again including the driver, were treated and released.

Police have finally released the name of the driver, but to date, no charges have been filed. Rehoboth Beach police referred questions about the incident to Delaware Department of Justice, which had this to say:

"As with all pending matters, we are unable to provide any substantive response to your questions about the discrete facts of this matter, and we are not in a position to predict how long any investigation might take."

That's a lot of words to say nothing.

We, the public, are left to wonder how much investigation it takes to charge the driver in out-of-control crashes on Rehoboth Avenue that early reports said may have involved alcohol. As far as we know, the driver is free to get behind the wheel again, with no restrictions on his driving privilege.

This is simply unacceptable. If nothing else, the Department of Justice owes the public an explanation as to what has taken so long and some indication as to whether this driver still has driving privileges.

We understand that Justice Department officials have a job to do. Part of that job is timely communication with the public. The department has utterly failed the test when it comes to communications.

We, the public, are watching to see if justice officials earn a better score when it comes to prosecuting this driver.