Teens face felony charges in Kent County theft spree

MARYDEL, Del. – Delaware State Police recently arrested three Delaware teens after they were accused of stealing from unlocked cars and a shed on almost 20 different occasions.

“They kids and they got too much free time,” said Maurice Kemp, a Marydel resident.

“They need to do something else or they need to get involved in something, and I mean there’s more to do than going around destroying properties and stealing stuff,” said Kemp.

Police arrested 18-year-old Daniel Sangtangelo and 19-year-old Travis Martin on Thursday and a 17-year-old back on January 15. Police say they started getting reports of thefts in Marydel and Hartly as early as December.

“I didn’t know that my neighbors were bothered, but I just know that what I read in the paper that there needs to be a lot more done than what’s getting done,” said Kemp.

On December 5, Troopers say they received three reports of theft on Proctors Purchase Road in Hartly where items were stolen from unlocked cars. That same day police reportedly became aware of six more similar incidents on Mahan Corner. On top of that investigators say at the start of January seven more car thefts and a burglary at a shed took place on Slaughter Station Road, Sandy Bend Road as well as Tappahana Bridge Road.

Police believe the teens are responsible for these thefts, but they were all released without bail.

“They don’t need to be out in the community,” said Kemp, “They need to be put away somewheres because they’re doing going to do it again if they got out.”

Delaware State Police say these teenagers will soon face the ultimate consequence of their actions in court and may be placed into a community service program.