On August 17, a 21-year-old man was charged with disorderly conduct in connection with the arrest of five juveniles and one adult for allegedly targeting and harassing three women on the streets of Rehoboth Beach. Pleaded guilty to the crime. Regarding the victim’s sexual orientation.
Rehoboth Beach Police Department spokesman Lt. Mark Sweet said the adult suspect in the case, Jerome Charleston, was sentenced to a $100 fine and court costs at his Sept. 18 arraignment, where he pleaded guilty to one count. He said he was sentenced. of disorderly conduct.
The incident occurred at 2 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17, at Baltimore Avenue and Second Street, according to a statement released by Rehoboth Police at the time of the incident. According to the statement, the three women called police after a car passed them and stopped.
According to the statement, five boys got out of the car and approached the woman, telling her that her behavior in a public place was inappropriate. The statement continued that during the interaction, one of the boys fired an airsoft gun at the women, and all five returned to their vehicles and fled the scene.
Airsoft guns are replica guns designed to fire non-metallic projectiles. No injuries were reported as a result of this incident.
Officers from nearby Dewey Beach spotted the vehicle and arrested five juveniles and an adult who were driving the vehicle, police said.
“Once in custody, it was determined that the only reason the suspects stopped confronting the victim was because of their awareness of the victim’s sexual orientation,” a Rehoboth police statement said.
Three of the juveniles were arrested in the incident, two were 15 years old and the remaining 14 were from Rehoboth Beach, according to a police statement. Another young man, 14, is from near Lewes, and another, 15, is from near Blades, Delaware.
Each boy was charged with aggravated menacing, a felony, according to the statement. and misdemeanor charges of offensive touching, third degree conspiracy, disorderly conduct, and hate crime.
Charleston, the only adult involved in the incident, was charged with disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.
The Washington Blade could not immediately determine the circumstances of the case against the boy. Police Spokesman Sweet said the Rehoboth Police Department could not comment further on these cases as they are still pending.
In most jurisdictions, including Delaware, juvenile cases are confidential and not included in public court records.
Source: Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News – www.washingtonblade.com
