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Lawsuit targets Delaware cops for violent response to ‘ding dong ditch’ prank by teens

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Lawsuit targets Delaware cops for violent response to ‘ding dong ditch’ prank by teens


Trooper Walters punched the handcuffed teen in the face

The lawsuit recounts what happened early in the evening of August 21, after a 15-year-old kid kicked the door of Walters’ home while playing “ding, dong, ditch,’’ a prank where someone rings a home’s doorbell, knocks or hits the door, and runs away before someone comes to the door.

Walters, a five-year state police veteran, was on duty and not home. But his live-in girlfriend reviewed the Ring doorbell camera footage and called him to report the incident.

Walters drove there and contacted state police and the other local agencies about a fabricated home invasion, the lawsuit said.

According to the indictment of Walters, which a New Castle County grand jury handed down in September 2023, he and other officers knocked on the door of one teen’s home, “forcibly” pulled him outside, and “forced him onto the ground,’’ causing unspecified injuries.

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Walters handcuffed and detained him in the back of a police vehicle. The teen was later released without being charged.

Walters began heading home, but another trooper reported that he’d found the 15-year-old teen who kicked the door and two friends. When Walters arrived at the scene, the 15-year-old was “face down on the ground’’ as the other trooper “struggled’’ to handcuff him behind his back, the indictment said.

Instead of observing, however, Walters “almost immediately’’ struck the teen “in the back of the neck/head with his knee,’’ the indictment said.

The teen was eventually handcuffed, and put in another trooper’s cruiser. While that was occurring, Walters “turned off his body-worn camera,’’ walked to the vehicle, and punched the handcuffed teen “in the right side of his face, causing an orbital fracture,’’ the indictment said. The orbital bone is commonly referred to as the eye socket.

Then, Walters walked around the vehicle and turned his camera back on. But the punch had already been documented on video because the camera continued recording, with the youth screaming in pain afterward, the indictment said.

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The third teen was detained in a police vehicle for more than two hours before being released without being charged with any crime, the lawsuit said.

State police reviewed the body camera footage almost immediately, and the next day notified the Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust in the office of Attorney General Kathy Jennings.

Dempsey was immediately suspended, and a month later, he was indicted.

Johnson said the lawsuit seeks to punish the cops and their agencies for harming children who were just engaged in harmless fun at the end of their summer vacation, especially the 15-year-old.

“He has both long-lasting permanent injuries, but also has had difficulty in school and has had to give up the sport that he loves playing, which is baseball. He can no longer play for his high school team.”

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The victims “continue to struggle to this day. They’ve tried to move on, but unfortunately the traumatic effects of this occurrence nearly two years ago is still plaguing them.”



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PennDOT, hardware stores prepare for first snow of season in Delaware Valley

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PennDOT, hardware stores prepare for first snow of season in Delaware Valley


PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Crews and customers across the Delaware Valley are gearing up for the region’s first accumulating snowfall of the season, expected late Saturday into Sunday morning.

PennDOT says it has more than 100,000 tons of salt ready and plans to deploy over 400 trucks across the region for this event.

Road crews began brining operations Friday, which will continue through the weekend with plowing on Sunday.

READ MORE | Accuweather Alert: Light snow to blanket the region Saturday night into Sunday morning

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“Maybe 1 to 3, maybe a little bit more depending on how the storm tracks,” said Brad Rudolph of PennDOT.

He added that timing is key with the snow beginning to fall on Saturday night, while many may be out and about, and with thousands expected to travel to Lincoln Financial Field Sunday for the Eagles game against the Raiders.

Preps underway for first snow of the season in Delaware Valley

“People are going to travel, they’re going to need to take it slow. We’re going to push back snow from travel lanes, we’ll make the roads passable. They may not be completely clear of snow and ice, something to consider,” Rudolph said. “We expect this storm to push out relatively early Sunday, well before that Eagles game, but we still might have some cleaning up to do. We’ll be working long after this snow is done.”

At Stanley’s Hardware in Roxborough, workers spent Friday unpacking boxes and moving thousands of pounds of salt and other supplies to fill commercial and individual orders.

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“Our aisle is filled right now. We have tons of skids of rock salt, ice melter, shovels,” said Joe Jaconski of Stanley’s Hardware.

Customers were already stocking up.

“We have food, we have shovels, just had to get some salt just to make sure we’re keeping the sidewalks nice and safe for everyone,” said Matt Skomsky of Roxborough.

Customers were steady at Stanley’s Friday, and business is expected to pick up through the weekend, but managers say don’t wait to get ready.

“I recommend just being ahead of it. Try to beat the storm because when the storm comes, it gets very busy in here-the lines wrapped around,” Jaconski said.

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PennDOT urges drivers to keep their distance from plow trucks and check the forecast before heading out.

Copyright © 2025 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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Done Deal: 695 Delaware Avenue – Buffalo Rising

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Done Deal: 695 Delaware Avenue – Buffalo Rising


Ellicott Development has expanded it local property portfolio. Ellicott’s 4628 Group Inc. purchased 695 Delaware Avenue on Wednesday for $1.025 million. Fred Kaplan Living Trust was the seller. The 8,454 sq.ft., three-story barn-like structure with mansard roofed addition is occupied by media production and marketing firm Crosswater Digital Media. It was the home of WKBW radio for a number of years. The property totals 0.4 acres in size with a large parking lot fronting Delaware Avenue.

The property is bookended by the Westbrook Apartments and Wilcox House apartment buildings, both ten-story structures. It sits across the street from 700 Delaware, the former Computer Task Group Building Ellicott purchased in 2018 and is now occupied by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.



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Man, 77, dies after collision with teen driver near Hartly, police say

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Man, 77, dies after collision with teen driver near Hartly, police say


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A 77-year-old man died following a two-car crash near Hartly on the morning of Dec. 10, Delaware State Police said.

The man, from the Dover area, has not been identified by police pending family notification.

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According to police reports, the man was driving a Honda Accord east on Judith Road approaching Hartly Road about 9 a.m., as an 18-year-old woman was driving a Ford Focus south on Hartly Road approaching Judith Road.

Police reported that a preliminary investigation shows the Honda moved from the stop sign into the Ford’s path, causing a collision.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman, from Hartly, was treated at the scene. Police said she refused to be taken to a hospital.

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

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