Officer Jonathan Kendall Arrested for Dealing in Child Porn

Harrington Police Department, was arrested by state police on March 10 on multiple charges of dealing in child pornography, state department of justice spokesman Jason Miller said.

Officer Jonathan Kendall, 37, an active member of the Miller said the Delaware Child Predator Task Force investigated Kendall and found evidence of child pornography after seizing a computer and “other evidence” from his Lincoln home on Jan. 19.

“It is certainly a sad day when one of our own has been arrested, and it is an disappointment,” Harrington Police Chief Norman Barlow said. “We want to assure the citizens of Harrington that we will diligently work hard to move our department past this incident and provide the police service they expect.”

Police also found evidence in Kendall’s vehicle and home after his arrest, Miller said.

Kendall has been charged with 27 counts of dealing in child pornography and one count each of hindering prosecution and official misconduct. He was committed to the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in lieu of $272,000 secured bond.

Kendall’s arrest is part of an ongoing offensive by the child predator task force that also led to the indictment of Shane Kiser, a Beebe Hospital nurse, on the same day.

“We will never let up from our efforts to protect our kids and we will never back down from the challenge of combating child predators,” Attorney General Beau Biden said.

Cpl Joshua Giddings Committs Suicide After Arrest

Delaware State Police Cpl. Joshua A. Giddings, 32, apparently committed suicide at his Smyrna home Tuesday, May 26. Giddings was arrested May 11 after an investigation revealed he engaged in sexual relations with a woman he had arrested in exchange for not taking her to court.

Delaware State Police reported that emergency personnel were dispatched at about 6 p.m., to a home in the unit block of Wheeler Circle in Smyrna after receiving a report of an unresponsive man.

The man was found in the shed at the residence. He was unresponsive. Emergency personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.

He was identified as Joshua A. Giddings.

Foul play is not suspected, police said. The incident is a suspected suicide, but the investigation is continuing by the Smyrna Police Department.

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Trooper Joshua Giddings Arrested for Sexual Exploitation

A 7-year Delaware State Police trooper has been arrested and charged with sexual exploitation.

Corporal Joshua Giddings, who was assigned to Troop 9 in Odessa, has been arrested on charges of sexual exploitation, receiving a bribe and official misconduct.

State Police say the officer arrested a 39-year old New Castle woman on March 19th for shoplifting at the Christiana Mall. Following the arrest, investigators say Corporal Giddings and the woman agreed that the woman wouldn't be taken immediately to court if she agreed to perform a sexual favor. Instead, the officer issued a a summons to appear in court at a later date.

The woman told investigators the officer then drove to a secluded area and engaged in a sexual act with the woman, then drove her home.

Corporal Giddings has been placed on suspension without pay and benefits with the intent to dismiss him from the police force.
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http://www.wmdt.com/topstory/displaystory.asp?id=12981

Cpl. Joshua Giddings Arrested for Sexual Extortion

The Delaware State Police arrested a seven-year veteran patrol trooper for Sexual Extortion, Receiving a Bribe and Official Misconduct after an investigation revealed he engaged in a sex act with a 39-year-old New Castle woman.

This arrest culminates an investigation by DSP of alleged misconduct brought to the attention of the State Police by a woman arrested by Cpl. Joshua A. Giddings, 32, who was assigned to Troop 9 in Odessa.

The woman alleged that she and Giddings engaged in a sexual act while he was acting in his official capacity as a trooper. Information was provided and the investigation later substantiated that on Thursday, March 19 at approximately 8:06 pm, Giddings was working in a patrol capacity when he was dispatched to JC Penney's at the Christiana Mall for a report of a female shoplifter in custody. The investigation determined that Giddings arrested the woman for a single count of Shoplifting and for capias charges from a local court related to traffic offenses. Following the arrest, the woman and Giddings agreed that if the woman performed a sexual favor that Giddings would not take her forthwith to court to face the shoplifting charges and capiases. Instead, he issued her a criminal summons to appear at a later date in court.

With the woman under arrest and detained in the police vehicle, Giddings drove to a nearby, secluded area and engaged in a sexual act with her. He then drove her home.

Once DSP was notified of this allegation, an investigation was immediately launched and Giddings was suspended with pay and benefits. During the investigation, detectives secured a clothing item belonging to the victim. Consequently, detectives later obtained a search warrant to obtain DNA from Giddings.

The physical evidence obtained by detectives from the victim’s clothing and the DNA sample obtained from Giddings were sent to the state’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) for comparison. The two samples matched the DNA profile of Mr. Giddings and supported the allegation.

Arrest warrants were obtained and today, Giddings was informed of the arrest warrant and voluntarily turned himself in to investigators at Troop 2 in Glasgow. He was formally charged and upon arraignment, was issued an $8,000.00 unsecured bond.

Because of the arrest, Colonel Thomas F. Mac Leish has placed Giddings on suspension without pay and benefits with the intent to dismiss him from the division.
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http://www.wmdt.com/topstory/displaystory.asp?id=12981

Correctional Officer Sidney Nunn Charged with Smuggling Drugs into Jail

A 25-year-old correctional officer was arrested on drug charges following an investigation into drug smuggling at Vaughn Correctional Center, police reported today.

Dover police spokesman Lt. Tim Stump said Sidney Nunn, of Smyrna, was charged with possession with intent to deliver marijuana, maintaining a vehicle, conspiracy, possession of drug paraphernalia and promoting prison contraband.

Nunn was released after posting $8,000 bail.

Internal Affairs at the prison contacted the Dover police drug unit with information about Nunn, Stump said.

About 2 p.m. Saturday officers arrested Nunn in the parking lot of the Dover Mall and confiscated 26.7 grams of marijuana from him that police said he had intended to smuggle into the prison.

State Department of Correction spokesman John Painter said Nunn was hired in April 2004 and worked as a correctional officer at Vaughn Correctional Center.

“Following normal procedure, he had been placed on leave with pay pending the outcome of an internal investigation,” Painter said.

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http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=6795208

Deputy Joel Arnold Arrested for Domestic Violence

A Wicomico County Sheriff's Office Deputy arrested after allegedly choking and threatening to kill his girlfriend, then damaging the cruiser of a police officer who responded to the woman's call for help, has been suspended from his job with pay, county Sheriff Mike Lewis said Monday.

Joel Arnold also was hospitalized for treatment of an unknown injury, although a Salisbury Police Department report on a domestic dispute early Sunday said Arnold accidentally fell down a flight of steps during an altercation at the couple's residence on Canvasback Court.

The 32-year-old Arnold also cracked or bent a visor on the passenger side of a police cruiser that had arrived at the scene about 6 a.m., according to the SPD report.

The Salisbury Police Department is investigating the criminal case that charges Arnold with second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, false imprisonment and malicious destruction of property at or over $500, according to the SPD.

The county Sheriff's Office also is conducting an internal probe of the alleged incident, Lewis said.

"We are working cooperatively with the Salisbury Police Department in the criminal investigation," the Sheriff said late Monday, "and we are conducting a concurrent internal investigation, as it is also a personnel matter."

A telephone conversation between Arnold and his estranged wife triggered an argument between him and his girlfriend, Joy Powell, with whom the suspect shared the Canvasback Court residence, according to the SPD. The argument preceded the alleged assault and verbal threat on Powell, reports said.

According to police accounts, Powell awakened at about 4 a.m. Sunday to overhear Arnold on the phone "yelling and arguing" with a person he told his girlfriend was his wife. Moments later, Powell and Arnold began arguing, and when he "became extremely angry," she reached for a cell phone to call police, the victim told authorities.

"As she was dialing the number, Arnold grabbed her by the neck with two hands and began choking her while pressing her up against the wall," according to a summary of a statement Powell gave police.

The victim said that Arnold then pressed something against her throat, "cutting off the airway and yelling, 'I'm going to kill you,' " according to a police report.

The victim told police that she escaped, but was unsuccessful in an attempt to flee through the front door, saying Arnold "ran past her and prevented her from leaving ... by shutting the door and locking it, utilizing the deadbolt."

Arnold then grabbed Powell by the right wrist and left arm, pinning her against a wall, and police investigators said in a report that she had bruising in those areas of her body.

Powell told police that during a moment Arnold was distracted, she fled again to the front door, and he "tripped and fell down the entire flight of stairs and landed at the bottom."

A neighbor called authorities, she told police.

Powell refused medical attention or assistance by a crisis agency, according to police.

Arnold, meanwhile, sitting inside a police cruiser, "began damaging the interior of the marked Salisbury Police vehicle," according to a report.

The suspect then was transported to Peninsula Regional Medical Center, police said.

It was unclear whether the charge of malicious destruction of property also included items allegedly broken inside the residence during the confrontation between Arnold and Powell. Police said it was determined that those items belonged to the suspect.
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http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20090407/NEWS01/904070326

Correction Officer Steven Lenhart Charged with Harassment

The Delaware Department of Correction says a correctional officer charged with sending harassing e-mails to the governor has been placed on leave with pay.

Department spokesman John Painter says 50-year-old Steven R. Lenhart of Dover was placed on leave Friday pending the outcome of the investigation of the charges.

Painter says Lenhart has been with the department since 1981.

Delaware State Police say Lenhart was arrested Thursday and charged with 10 misdemeanor counts of harassment. He was released on $10,000 secured bail and ordered to have no contact with the governer.

Police say the governor's office alerted troopers on March 22 that "alarming e-mails" were sent to the cost-saving suggestion public mailbox located on www.delaware.gov.

Police say that after getting the Internet protocol address from the e-mail, subscriber information was obtained from Comcast.

On March 28, several more e-mails were sent to the same public mailbox in which additional threats were made, according to police.

On Thursday, detectives armed with a search warrant raided Lenhart's home and seized his computer. Lenhart was then taken into custody.