Delaware

Cabela’s ordered to comply with Delaware prosecutor subpoena in ammo storage investigation

Published

3 months ago

August 22, 2024

Cabela’s ordered to comply with Delaware prosecutor subpoena in ammo storage investigation

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.

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Delaware

Here are 9 holiday light shows to catch this season in the Delaware, Philadelphia region

Published

8 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

Here are 9 holiday light shows to catch this season in the Delaware, Philadelphia region

From walks to drive-thrus, there are plenty of opportunities to catch a holiday light show this season.

Various shows and events are taking place throughout Delaware and across the Philadelphia region this year.

Here are nine holiday light shows to check out:

Longwood Gardens

Spectators of the holiday light show at Longwood Gardens are in for a special treat this year as “A Longwood Christmas” kicks off amid the opening of “Longwood Reimagined.”

The expansion features new spaces like the West Conservatory, which will offer new areas to deck out for the holidays.

Longwood Gardens, located near Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, launched its holiday light display on Friday, Nov. 22, and it will run daily through Jan. 12. To make a reservation, visit the sprawling garden’s website.

Address: 1001 Longwood Road, near Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

Website: longwoodgardens.org

Yuletide at Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library

Holidays at the Winterthur Museum on Route 52 features twinkling lights adorning the woodlands, a large-scale gingerbread house and an 18-room dollhouse, according to the museum’s website.

The holiday display will be open to the public starting Saturday, Nov. 23, and will run through Sunday, Jan. 5.

You can purchase tickets online or by calling the museum at 800-448-3883.

Address: 5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur, Delaware

Website: winterthur.org/

Holidays at Hagley

Get a glimpse of Hagley Museum and Library around the holidays with a holiday home and garden tour.

The site features a gingerbread house contest, Santa day, holiday night tours and more.

The holiday experience at Hagley runs from Sunday, Nov. 29 through Wednesday, Jan. 1. Purchase tickets online to schedule your holiday tour.

Address: 200 Hagley Creek Road, Greenville, Delaware

Website: hagley.org/

Drone show at the Riverfront

The Wilmington Riverfront during the evening hours of Friday, Dec. 6, will host a drone holiday light show.

The free holiday light show will take place on the Riverwalk. For more information about the event, visit the Riverfront’s website.

Address: Michael S Purzycki Riverwalk in Wilmington, Delaware

Website: riverfrontwilm.com/event/drone-light-show

Shady Brook Farm

If you are willing to take a drive for a holiday light display, look no further than Yardley, Pennsylvania’s Shady Brook Farm.

You can drive through the holiday show yourself or take a wagon ride through. The holiday festivities begin Saturday, Nov. 23 and run through Jan. 5, 2025. Ticket prices are per vehicle and vary depending on the day of your visit.

The farm also features Santa’s Village with gifts, treats, firepits and a Candy Cane Lane walk-through.

Address: 931 Stony Hill Road, Yardley, Pennsylvania

Website: shadybrookfarm.com

Gift of Lights Dover

The Dover Motor Speedway will once again host its drive-thru holiday light show this year.

Tickets are priced per carload at $35 per car and $60 per bus or limo.

Address: 1229 Persimmon Tree Lane, Dover, Delaware

Website: giftoflights.ticketspice.com/gift-of-lights-dover

The Brandywine Railroad

Since 1972, the Brandywine Railroad has displayed model trains, including locomotives, passenger and freight trains, and trolleys as part of its annual holiday display.

The display also features interactive options like “push buttons and foot pedals” so visitors can engage with the train setup.

The holiday display began on Saturday, Nov. 16, and runs through Jan. 5. For more information visit the Brandywine Museum of Arts’ website.

Address: 1 Hoffman’s Mill Road, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

Website: brandywine.org/museum

Holiday Lights Express

Take a festive ride on 100-year-old heated coaches through the Red Clay Valley to see homes decorated for the holidays.

The Wilmington & Western Railroad hosts one-hour evening train rides during the month of December. To purchase train tickets, visit the venue’s website.

For a visit from Santa Claus, be sure to reserve train tickets for the Santa Claus Express.

Address: 2201 Newport Gap Pike, Prices Corner, Delaware

Website: wwrr.com/ride/events/holiday-lights

NOËL at Nemours Estate

Experience the holidays at the Nemours Estate by touring the 77-room mansion, chauffer’s garage and gardens adorned in twinkling lights.

The estate also will feature live music performances throughout the season.

The festivities at the Nemours Estate began Tuesday, Nov. 19 and will extend through Sunday, Dec. 29. Purchase tickets on the estate’s website and reserve your visit.

Address: 1600 Rockland Road, Rockland, Delaware

Website: nemoursestate.org

Got a tip? Contact Amanda Fries at afries@delawareonline.com. Follow her on X at @mandy_fries.

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Delaware

Dolgeville vs Delaware Academy

Published

16 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

N. Scott Trimble

High School football 2024 Class D playoffs: Dolgeville vs. Delaware Academy

Dolgeville battles Delaware Academy at Cicero-North Syracuse Friday, November 22, 2024 for the Class D playoffs. (N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com)Get Photo

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Delaware

The Delaware Springboard Villages to build a new community center – 47abc

Published

24 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

The Delaware Springboard Villages to build a new community center – 47abc

GEORGETOWN, Del. – The Delaware Springboard Villages announced Friday, that they would be breaking ground on a new community center. Co-founder of the organization, Jeffrey Ronald thinks this new center will bring more unity into the neighborhood.

“Breaking ground on this community center is not just for the participants of the Springboard Village. It’s for the broader Georgetown community where they will have access to job training, life skills like financial planning, communication skills, and healthcare.”

The state-of-the-art facility will feature computer labs, a telehealth conference room, staff offices, and a commercial kitchen. These resources will help guests toward self-sufficiency.

Executive Director, of Springboard Delaware, Judson Malone thinks this can be life-changing for those in need.

“It gives them a completely new perspective, and it is incredible when people come from the woods. It’s almost transformational, their whole outlook changes, and so the community center is going to build on that.”

According to Springboard Delaware, nearly 25% of guests have gained full employment. Around one-third have transitioned to permanent housing. Ronald is excited about the future of the Springboard Villages.

Governor-elect, Matt Meyer supports the organization. Ronald believes this will only grow stronger. “Matt Meyer who spearheaded the Hope Center, has been to the Springboard Village. He has kindly declared, and we think wisely declared, that he wants to replicate this model across the entire state. Hoping to help disadvantaged Delawareans build a better life.”

The villages are located on the property of the First State Community Action Agency behind their Georgetown headquarters. It houses up to 40 individuals.
It is the expectation they come in with a plan to find full employment.

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