Reports of car break-ins earlier this year had become a daily routine at the Dover Police Department. Officers commonly would start the day with several incidents reported from the night before. Car stereos, iPods, GPS units and money were the primary targets taken from vehicles, often after a window had been smashed to gain access.
No part of the city was immune from the burglars who hit what appeared to be random locations.
Dover Police said they knew there was something to the rash of car break-ins that began in February but couldn’t pinpoint what it was.
“They happened all over the city — east, west, north and south,” said Lt. Steven Getek, spokesman for the Dover Police Department.
First break
On the night of April 19, officers finally got their break.
A Bicentennial Village resident called to report six people allegedly wandering through the neighborhood, pulling on car doors and trying to get into vehicles, said Patrolman Derek Mast, one of the investigating officers in the case.
Responding to the scene, Mast said the six suspects dispersed but officers were able to catch two of them. Arrested were Michael Watts, 18, of Lakeview Drive, and Randal Harris, 15, of White Oak Road. A backpack with two screwdrivers, metal pipe and a car stereo was found in the area.
After waiving their Miranda rights and agreeing to an interview, Mast said the two revealed a car break-in ring that involved nearly a dozen school friends from Central Middle School and Dover High School. The group of 11 boys ranged in age from 15 to 19 and lived in residences ranging from public housing, apartment rentals and townhomes to tonier developments such as Cardinal Hills and Lakeshore Village, just south of Garrisons Lake.
“They pretty much knew each other through school or hanging out together,” Getek said.
Fencing operation revealed
During his interviews with Dover Police, Mast said Randal spoke of a “brother” that stole items from vehicles in the Felton and Harrington areas and gave them the idea that they could make money by selling the electronic items on the streets of Wilmington.
“He’s a friend of Randal’s that Randal doesn’t want to give up,” Mast said. “We haven’t been able to confirm his identity.”
But the boys apparently took his advice. One of the older teens allegedly drove up to Wilmington on a regular basis where Mast said he would quickly sell the electronic items on the street.
