A state judge said Cabela’s must comply with a Delaware Department of Justice subpoena in its investigation of the outdoor company’s lax storage and shoplifting prevention practices. The state agency began probing these practices last year after half a million rounds of ammunition were stolen from Cabela’s Christiana Mall store.

In its attempt to quash the subpoena, Cabela’s filed 53 pages of objections, including that the statute under which the investigation is being conducted is unconstitutional. The company also argued the other statutes the DOJ cited were not applicable to them because Cabela’s is “a national, respected, law abiding premier outdoor supply and conservation company.”

Superior Court President Judge Jan R. Jurden disagreed with Cabela’s, according to her opinion issued on Wednesday. In her 32-page opinion, Jurden states the requests made in the subpoena are relevant to the DOJ’s investigation, which among other things concerns shoplifting of ammunition, ammunition storage, loss prevention and its reporting and security footage.

“The DOJ has carried its burden to show that the subpoena is reasonable and made in response to its stated investigation, and therefore, it is enforceable,” Jurden wrote in her opinion.

Cabela’s parent company, the Great American Outdoors Group, could not be reached for comment.

Jurden’s opinion comes seven months after a federal judge said Delaware can continue investigating Cabela’s storage and shoplifting prevention practices and ordered the case be returned to Delaware state courts. Cabela’s had sought to take the case out of Delaware state courts, where stronger laws about gun dealer conduct apply.

More: Federal judge sides with Delaware DOJ, returning Cabela’s investigation to state courts

“I am grateful to the court for its ruling and pleased that once again Cabela’s legal games have been unsuccessful,” Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings said. “Cabela’s has attempted to thwart this investigation at every turn. It is ridiculous that we are now well beyond a year into this investigation and yet we still have no meaningful answers from Cabelas.

“We look forward to finally being able to investigate how the theft of such a shocking number of lethal ammunition was able to take place.”

Jennings announced last summer the state DOJ was asking the Delaware Superior Court to enforce a subpoena against Cabela’s seeking information about ammunition shoplifted from its Christiana location. Investigators believe that at least 500,000 rounds of ammunition were stolen from Cabela’s in less than a year and that a substantial portion of it was sold to violent criminals and drug dealers in Delaware and Pennsylvania.  

The state DOJ’s investigation is focusing on whether Cabela’s violated any laws, including Delaware’s firearms industry public nuisance law, through its hands-off approach to the shoplifting of ammunition.

According to the DOJ, the ammunition was stored unsecured in the middle of the sales floor with no apparent effort to stop massive shoplifting. After investigators subpoenaed Cabela’s in February, the DOJ said Cabela’s moved its ammunition behind a sales counter.

How the investigation began

The state DOJ began investigating Cabela’s early last year after receiving reports of thefts of significant quantities of ammunition.

One of the people interviewed by a DOJ special investigator was 39-year-old Danielle M. Brookens, who’d been arrested in December 2022 for stealing from Cabela’s. During a March interview, Brookens told the special investigator that she shoplifted half a million rounds of ammunition from the Christiana Mall store over a year’s time.

“It was easy to steal ammunition out in the open shelves and the security was lacking” is the reason Brookens gave for shoplifting from the store, according to court documents obtained by Delaware Online/The News Journal.

More: How a pattern of shoplifting ammunition led Delaware to demand Cabela’s records

Brookens explained that on more than 20 occasions, she would place boxes of ammo in a shopping cart covered by her coat. She added others were also shoplifting ammunition from the store and that they had been doing so before she started stealing from them in December 2021.

While she told investigators she was “well known to employees and at least one supervisor” who saw her often in the store, “they did not typically confront her or take action to prevent her shoplifting.”

She said she would sell the ammo at about a third of its retail price to Delaware pawn shops. She would also sell ammo to “gang-related individuals” in Philadelphia and Dover, making more than $100,000.

Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.

National Dog Day is quickly approaching, and we want to celebrate.

Help us by submitting a funny, adorable or awe-inspiring video of your dog here. In the caption section of the form, please give your video a unique title and identify your dog(s) in the video by name. (Please note: We reserve the right to edit videos if they are too long.)

TOP DOG: What are Delaware’s most popular dog breeds?

DOGGY FUN: Your guide to dogs at Delaware beaches, including rules, restrictions and reminders

We will post the videos on Delaware Online, and then on the big day, Monday, Aug. 26, we will begin voting on Delaware’s favorite dog. While there is no prize, you will get bragging rights.

Now let’s see those furry friends!

Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester from Delaware took the stage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday, to emphasize the stakes of former president Donald Trump’s Project 2025 agenda.

However, the state’s first elected woman and person of color congressmember encouraged voters to not lose their “bright hope.”

“Now there are some who think our politics are too broken for bright hope. Bright hope is record numbers of Black and brown entrepreneurs starting businesses. Bright hope is an opportunity economy where we invest in our communities and build affordable housing,” Rochester said. “Bright hope is four words, Madam President Kamala Harris.”

The Democratic National Committee convention is in Chicago through Thursday and Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday is scheduled to formally accept the party’s nomination for the 2024 presidential election on Nov. 5.

Watch Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester’s full DNC convention speech here

What to know about Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester

• Who is she? Rochester, who represents Delaware’s sole congressional district, was first elected to the office in 2017 when Gov. John Carney assumed office. The Philadelphia-native ran for Congress after the sudden loss of her husband, and became the state’s first woman or person of color congressmember. She is currently running for the U.S. Senate in the 2024 race.

• What role she plays: She serves as a National Co-Chair for the Harris-Walz campaign.

• Key quote: “Bright hope is four words, Madam President Kamala Harris.”

When and where is the DNC

The Democratic National Convention will take place from August 19-22 in Chicago, Illinois.

The United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks, will be the main venue for the DNC.

Chicago has hosted the Democratic Convention 11 times, most recently in 1996 when the United Center saw President Bill Clinton was nominated for a second time.

How to watch and stream the 2024 DNC

The convention will air live on its website, from the United Center in Chicago between 6:15 p.m. and 11 p.m. Eastern (5:15 p.m. to 10 p.m Central) on Monday, and 7 p.m to 11 p.m. Eastern (6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Central) the other days.

USA TODAY will provide livestream coverage on YouTube each night of the DNC, Monday through Thursday.

What are the themes for each night of the DNC?

The DNC announced nightly themes for the convention. The title of the convention is “For the People, For Our Future.”

Here are the themes for each night:

• Monday: “For the People”

• Tuesday: “A Bold Vision for America’s Future”

• Wednesday: “A Fight for our Freedoms”

• Thursday: “For our Future”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester tells DNC crowd to have ‘bright hope’