16-year-old charged after loaded gun found during traffic stop in Laurel

LAUREL, Del. – A 16-year-old has been charged following a traffic stop in Laurel.

During the afternoon hours of April 6th, an officer on patrol stopped a vehicle in the area of W 6th Street and Webb Avenue for speeding in a residential zone. The officer made contact with both occupants, who were juveniles. The driver was determined to not have a valid driver’s license, and during the ensuing investigation, the passenger was found to be in possession of a pill bottle containing suspected crack cocaine and heroin. He was placed under arrest as a result.

The driver, a 16-year-old male from Laurel, was released to a legal guardian with a citation for speeding and driving without a valid license.

The passenger, a 16-year-old Bridgeville man, was searched as a result of his arrest. Officers found a loaded .22 Revolver-style firearm concealed in the front of his pants. He was charged with numerous firearm and drug related charges and was released on no bond for spending felony case, which resulted in a pre-trial released condition that he “not possess any firearms or deadly weapons”. Laurel Police contacted a guardian and the Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families, who recommended to the Justice of the Peace Court that the juvenile be held in custody for his safety and the safety of the public. The subject was subsequently held at the Stevenson Houe Juvenile Detention Center.