Two month drug investigation in Bridgeville lands one behind bars

A Bridgeville man is recovering in jail, after Police say he fled a traffic stop, and had to be apprehended by a K-9, following a two month long drug investigation.

The Delaware State Police Sussex County Drug Task Force and Governor’s Task Force says around 2:00 PM on Thursday, they stopped a gold Chevrolet Impala on Route 13, near Concord Road, in Bridgeville. The stop was in connection to a two month long investigation into illegal drug sales from a residence on Wesley Church Road. Police say during the stop, the driver, 48-year-old Purnell Collins refused to get out of the vehicle, and instead put the car into drive, and sped away, dragging a Trooper with him for a short distance.

According to the report, Collins lost control of the Impala near Oakels Road, and drove off Route 13, hitting a tree head-on. After the collision, Police say Collins started to run from the scene, but a Trooper assigned to GTF with his K9 partner, Kilo, responded from the initial traffic stop location. Police say Kilo was released, and successfully apprehended Collins.

Troopers say they took him into custody, and found 41.6 grams of cocaine along with 3.1 grams of crack cocaine on him. Authorities say Collins, who is on probation following a 2003 conviction of racketeering and trafficking cocaine, had a 30-30 caliber rifle, .22 caliber pistol, .45 caliber ammunition, and over $2,300 in suspected drug proceeds, inside of his Wesley Church Road home. Collins is prohibited from being in possession of any weapons or ammunition due to his felony convictions.

After his arrest, Collins was treated at Nanticoke Memorial Hospital for the K9 bite wounds and other non-life-threatening injuries, before being taken to Troop 4 in Georgetown for processing.

He was charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance – cocaine, two counts of possession of a firearm by a person prohibited, possession of ammunition by a person prohibited, possession with intent to deliver cocaine, disregarding a police officer’s signal, reckless endangering first degree, resisting arrest, and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Collins is now being held at the Sussex Correctional Center on $80,500 cash bond. Kilo is a 2 ½ year old Belgian Malinois.