LAUREL, DE– Laurel Police arrested two 14-year-old suspects on gun and drug charges Monday.
Officers were conducting a property check of the Hollybrook Farms Apartment Complex on Pasture Lane around 1 a.m. on June 10 when they observed two subjects on bicycles.
The pair had reportedly been loitering in multiple buildings’ breezeways and knocking on the windows of an unoccupied apartment.
Police say they tried to make contact, at which point both subjects fled on their bicycles toward the front of the complex.
Additional officers in the area apprehended them between the 300 and 400 buildings, according to Laurel Police.
Police say they knew the suspects, both 14-year-old males from Laurel, from prior criminal investigations. One suspect was allegedly involved in a stolen vehicle pursuit in April, with his criminal case still pending.
Both were detained for violating the town’s 11 p.m. curfew, according to police.
While searching the suspects, officers say they found one in possession of a loaded firearm with an obliterated serial number. The other suspect was reportedly in possession of marijuana.
Both were taken to the Laurel Police Department for processing, according to a press release.
The suspect in possession of the gun, who did not live in the complex, was charged with the following crimes:
-Concealed Carry Deadly Weapon A Firearm (Class D Felony)
-Possession of a Firearm by Person Prohibited (Class D Felony)
-Possession of Ammunition by Person Prohibited (Class D Felony)
-Possession of Firearm with Obliterated Serial Number (Class D Felony)
-Trespassing 3rd Degree (Violation)
He was committed to the Stevenson House Juvenile Detention Center in lieu of $10,050 secured bail.
The second subject, who did live in the complex, was charged with the following crimes:
-Possession of Marijuana Under 18 (Misdemeanor)
-Loitering (Violation)
The second subject was reportedly released to a parent.
In addition to the filed charges, police issued criminal summonses to both suspects’ parents for failing to adhere to the Laurel Town Curfew Ordinance.
Laurel Police say this is the first case in which they used the newly amended curfew to approach dangerous criminal behavior. Active since 1998, the curfew’s time and age specifications were amended by Laurel’s Town Council at the start of 2024 to address an increase in juvenile-related violent crime.
Police continue to investigate. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Laurel Police Department at 302-875-2244 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at 800-847-3333.
Tips leading to an arrest may be eligible for a cash reward, according to a press release.
