Rehoboth Beach sees spike in petty Juvenile crime
DELAWARE – Summertime is here and that means an influx of tourist will hit the beach. Many of those beachgoers will be teenagers, and some residents are concerned and wanted to know how the increase in young adults will affect overall beach activity.
Juvenile crime has been a hot topic, and Milford resident Jaci Caswell are concerned with what could happen. “It’s just crazy, it’s scary, now I have kids that come here, I don’t want them doing anything they shouldn’t be doing.”
Rehoboth Beach Patrol says there have been little crimes here and there, and they are working with teens and parents to help prevent it. Seasonal Officer Thomas Wright said it’s not that hard to be good. “The boardwalk has been probably one of our better places, it’s usually the business around the boardwalk. where we see a lot more of it- Trespassing kids going into pools, hanging out on the beach after dark.”
He says he’s seen a lot of civil mischief and shenanigans and has even had encounters with Lizzy Lynch and Zoe Kornmann, who are both 14 years old. Lizzy says, she was caught at the wrong place at the wrong time. “About 2 weeks ago me and my friends were trying to get out of the rain and we walked on the balcony of a hotel behind grottos up here, and apparently, we were trespassing, so I got taken down to the station and I did not mean for anything wrong to happen. I wear I’m a good kid… They just put me in the back of a cop car, took us all to a room and we all got fined.”
Zoe is Lizzy’s best friend, but she hasn’t gotten into any trouble. She says she takes her life seriously and has a message for all those teens out there. “When I think about getting in trouble, I think about like my future and how my like future is affected because I want to have a good career and like make lots of money. So, I would just say think about what it affects.”
Bethany Beach Police say they understand that while many seniors have made tremendous accomplishments this year, they still take into consideration the residents living here. They say they will continue to have no tolerance for minor vandalism, underage drinking, loud parties, or disorderly conduct, and plan to keep residents safe.
