Delaware
3 arrested for allegedly abusing special needs children at Delaware elementary school
SMYRNA, Delaware (WPVI) — Authorities in Smyrna, Delaware, have arrested three people in connection with the alleged abuse of nonverbal children with autism at an elementary school.
The investigation began in February 2024 when the Smyrna School District reported possible professional misconduct at Smyrna Elementary School.
Video in the player above is from a previous report.
According to Smyrna police, the investigation revealed that employees working in a special needs elementary classroom would allegedly throw objects at students, yell at them, and call them names.
31-year-old Makayla Lomax from Smyrna
One suspect, 31-year-old Makayla Lomax from Smyrna, is accused of striking a student in the face and spraying the same student with a water bottle as a form of discipline.
Investigators also believe that in the fall of 2022, two employees forced a special needs student to drink hot sauce and eat hot Takis. The student had a known digestive disability, according to police.
26-year-old Marrisa Johnson from Smyrna
Police say 26-year-old Marrisa Johnson from Smyrna and 21-year-old Morgan Donahue from Clayton were the employees involved in that incident.
Johnson has been charged with 10 counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Lomax was charged with third-degree child abuse, offensive touching, and nine counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
21-year-old Morgan Donahue from Clayton
Donahue was charged with one count of endangering the welfare of a child.
Police have not released any further details on this investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Smyrna Police Department.
The Smyrna School District released the following statement on this incident:
“In February 2024, the Smyrna School District reported alleged wrongdoing by staff at Smyrna Elementary School to the Division of Family Services and the Smyrna Police Department. We have worked diligently with our law enforcement partners throughout the investigation. The community and school system have been patiently waiting the conclusion of those extraordinary efforts. We appreciate the diligence and thoroughness of law enforcement in bringing closure to this troubling matter.
The relevant employees have not been in the presence of our students since the district was made aware of the alleged wrongdoing. Most individuals alleged to be involved no longer work for the District. With regard to the remaining employees, the District will honor employee privacy rights with regard to separation of employment, and we will make our reports to the Department of Education’s Division of Licensure and Certification.
Student safety is of paramount importance to the Smyrna School District. We will continue to evaluate and improve all aspects of school safety. We will also continue to support our school community through this difficult time.”
Copyright © 2024 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Delaware
Body cam video released of deadly police shooting in Wilmington, Delaware
WILMINGTON, Del. (WPVI) — The family of Kadir Skinner is calling for criminal charges against the police officer who shot the 19-year-old after the release of officer body camera footage that attorneys say contradicts the police account of the incident.
The shooting happened June 24 after 11 p.m. at 24th and Jessup streets.
Calls grow for body cam video in deadly Wilmington police shooting
Body camera video shows an officer drawing and firing his weapon while yelling commands. In the footage, officers can be heard saying, “He’s got a gun,” as they approach Skinner, who is on the ground.
Skinner repeatedly tells officers he is unarmed and says he cannot breathe.
“I don’t got nothing. I don’t got nothing,” Skinner says in the video.
Footage shows officers handcuffing Skinner and kneeling on him while he continues to say, “I don’t got nothing. I can’t breathe.”
Skinner was shot in the rear.
READ MORE | ‘We need answers’: Family disputes details after man killed in Wilmington police shooting
A second body camera angle shows a crowd forming as officers instruct people to back up.
Video from a third responding officer appears to show an officer picking something up from the grass and returning toward the crowd and the officers with Skinner.
In the footage, an officer can be heard saying, “Secure the gun,” and the officer wearing the body cam says, “I have it.”
Attorneys for Skinner’s family, along with family members and community supporters, gathered at Shiloh Baptist Church in Wilmington following the release of the video to demand justice.
“Regardless if he had a gun or not, he was still shot in the back, running from police, not having been a threat,” attorney Harry Daniels said.
SEE ALSO | Family releases witness video after 19-year-old fatally shot by police in Wilmington
Attorney Chance Lynch said the footage showed “an unjustified killing.”
“What we saw and what we witnessed was an unjustified killing,” Lynch said.
Attorneys for the family contend the video disputes the police version of events. Wilmington police previously said Skinner came out of a home armed and waved a gun at a crowd before officers opened fire.
“The video that I saw, I didn’t see a crowd, and I did not see Kadir coming out of a residence. I did not see a crowd, and I did not see Kadir pointing a firearm at a crowd,” Lynch said.
Attorneys and the family maintain that Skinner was running from a loose dog.
The family also announced a $25 million claim against the city of Wilmington for wrongful death. They are seeking criminal charges against the officer who shot Skinner.
The Delaware Department of Justice is investigating.
Copyright © 2026 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Delaware
Delaware oversight commission debates authority to reject utility rate hikes
Delmarva Power objects to applying legislation to interim rate
The debate among commissioners over the breadth of their oversight on utility rates comes as the company has pushed back on the group, limiting its interim rate increase to half of its total request, even while it faced criticism from commissioners that it is “cruel” and “tone deaf” for continuing to press for rate hikes.
Delmarva Power, an investor-owned utility, serves 344,000 residential and nonresidential customers in the state. Its parent company, Exelon Corporation, is the nation’s largest regulated electric and gas utility.
Its customers pay a supply and a delivery charge for gas and electricity. The supply of energy comes from PJM Interconnection, a regional grid serving Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and several other states. Delmarva Power profits through the distribution fee.
Delmarva Power Region President Marcus Beal said they need to file rate hike requests to recoup money it spends on improving and maintaining the infrastructure.
“Our equipment is extremely expensive, the items that we buy, the transformers, they’re very large, complex things to build,” Beal said. “Even something as simple as a treated pole of a certain size can be very pricey, so we spend a lot of money on the grid itself.”
Under Delaware law, interim rates can be approved seven months after a rate case is filed, while the full petition is being considered by the commission. Prior to the legislation, 100% of the rate request could be implemented. The bill caps interim rates at 50% and allows 75% of the ask to go into effect after 12 months. The bill also puts limits on Delmarva Power’s infrastructure spending.
Delmarva Power spokesperson Matt Ford said the commission overstepped its authority to cut the interim rate as much as they did and the company has argued in its PSC submissions that SB 326 did not apply to the rate increase request filed in December because it had yet to be signed into law. Meyer said he signed the bill Monday.
“Delmarva Power further reserves its objections to the applicability of the legislation, should it become effective, including its impermissible retroactive application,” the utility company said in comments filed Monday afternoon with the commission.
In addition, Delmarva Power has objected to halving $23.2 million in distribution system improvement charges as part of the interim rate commissioners approved. The fee allows utility companies to recover project costs and depreciation between full rate case proceedings.
“My suggestion is, if you don’t like it, appeal it,” Iorii said.
It’s unclear whether the utility plans to appeal the order. Ford said they were reviewing it and its implications.
Tweedie said he hopes they decide not to appeal.
“If they appeal this, what they are essentially saying is, ‘We want to extract more money from our customers than the commission intended to allow,’” he said.
Delaware
Delaware man identified after fatal pedestrian crash
Delaware State Police have identified the man who was struck and killed by a vehicle while lying on the roadway in Harrington, Delaware.
On Monday, July 13, 2026, Jimmy Burgess, 62, was struck by a Chevrolet Silverado driving westbound near the 1500 block of Whiteleysburg Road.
According to police, the Silverado, which was operated by a 17-year-old boy from Milton, Delaware, was unable to stop once he saw Burgess on the road, striking him. The driver of the Silverado was not injured during the crash.
Burgess was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead, said police.
The roadway was closed for approximately three hours while the scene was investigated and cleared.
The Delaware State Police Troop 3 Collison Reconstruction Unit continues to investigate this crash.
Troopers ask anyone with information about the crash contact Sergeant M. Long at (302) 698-8518.
Information can also be provided by sending a private Facebook message to the Delaware State Police, or by contacting Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-(800) 847-3333
-
New Mexico1 minute agoExpectations Have Changed: UNM enters 2026 as a Mountain West title contender
-
North Carolina7 minutes agoNorth Carolina’s Republican-led election board makes it easier to reject ballots
-
North Dakota13 minutes agoIcelandic State Park to host astronomy shows
-
Ohio19 minutes agoCanadian wildfire smoke forces cancellation of several events in northwest Ohio
-
Oklahoma25 minutes agoOklahoma first responders join rescue efforts as deadly Texas floods claim more lives
-
Oregon31 minutes ago
Oregon Lottery Pick 4 results for July 16
-
Pennsylvania37 minutes agoContinued Legacy: Central Pennsylvania Auto Auction gears up for 25th anniversary of Classic Car Auction
-
Rhode Island43 minutes agoWould You Dare Step Inside the Scariest Porta Potty in Rhode Island?