Some lawmakers and open government activists say last year’s theft just coming to light now highlights the state’s lack of transparency with the public.

“The administration should let the public know what’s going on, in terms of a theft of this size of money from the state of Delaware,” said Senate Minority Whip Brian Pettyjohn, a Republican from Georgetown. “Whether it’s a fund that’s contributed to by businesses, or whether it is your general fund money, that’s paid by all taxpayers in the state. When there’s this kind of theft, we should be informed about it.”

The legislation sponsored by State Sen. Laura Sturgeon, a Democrat from northern Delaware, would create an inspector general’s office. The inspector would be charged with investigating state agencies, and the General Assembly, when there’s an allegation of waste, fraud, abuse or corruption. The inspector general would hire a staff of 10 and would be required to be certified in investigation, auditing or evaluation within three years.

Under the proposal, the IG would be independent because it would not be an elected position. A selection panel would provide three names to the sitting governor, who would choose one to nominate for the position. The appointment must be confirmed by the Senate. The IG would serve five-year terms.

Sturgeon said an Office of Inspector General would make incidents like the theft of taxpayer money from the UI trust fund more transparent to the public. She said it would add to the oversight of the attorney general and auditor of accounts, not duplicate them.

“The only way the public ever finds out about an investigation is if it leads to prosecution, and in which case, then you find out whatever comes out during the trial, if there’s a trial,” Sturgeon said. “If they don’t find enough evidence to prosecute, or there is no trial, it’s not like the attorney general then gives a big press release to the public sharing all the information that they gathered in their investigation. It’s just all kept very quiet. So these exact kinds of situations where — but for an Office of the Inspector General — the public may never know what’s happening behind closed doors.”

The sponsor said the office would investigate allegations of misconduct. Sturgeon said the IG would create a report that would be released to the public and posted to its website, but Sturgeon said the reports might not be released right away. Reports would not be created if the office determined there was no wrongdoing.

Sturgeon said the IG will have subpoena power and will be able to obtain documents currently barred from view by the public through exemptions under Delaware’s open records law. However, the new office would be able to exempt information of its own from the public, such as investigative documents.

The Delaware Coalition for Open Government’s John Flaherty said the creation of an IG office will provide a layer of transparency the public lacks due to the amount of information state officials are currently able to shield because of exemptions in the open records law. He said open government advocates have fought for over 20 years to make Delaware’s Freedom of Information Act laws more transparent, only to encounter fierce pushback from government officials.

“[The inspector general’s office] will release a report and that report will have the critical information that we’re looking for,” he said. “We really don’t need to see the specific documents, as long as the substance of those documents are contained in a report released to the public.”

The bill has bipartisan support, including Republicans Sen. Pettyjohn and Rep. Mike Smith. Long-time former Auditor Tom Wagner opposes the concept.

“You’re just creating another office with more overhead,” he said. “And then how do you differentiate between who gets the fraud: the inspector general, the auditor’s office or the AG’s office?”

LINCOLN, Delaware (WPVI) — A man was arrested in Delaware on Sunday after state police said he stole a Tesla Cybertruck and led troopers on a brief chase.

Troopers say 41-year-old Corey Cohee of Milford, Delaware, is accused of stealing the luxury vehicle from a home in Lincoln, Sussex County.

On Saturday, just after 8 a.m., troopers responded to a residence on Brick Granary Road for reports of a stolen car.

Upon arrival, troopers learned the victim’s 2024 silver Tesla Cybertruck with temporary New Jersey registration was stolen from the property.

Investigators say they then followed the vehicle using its tracking system to a dirt path off Pinecone Drive.

A driver was inside the car when it was located, according to authorities. Before troopers could approach the suspect, however, the car fled the area.

Troopers say the Tesla disregarded all police signals to pull over as it led officers on a short chase.

After the brief pursuit, authorities say the car came to a stop on Brick Granary Road. The driver, later identified as Cohee, was then taken into custody.

Cohee has since been charged with felony theft of a motor vehicle, felony disregarding a police officer signal, criminal trespassing, and failure to have a license in possession.

Delaware State Police arrested 41-year-old Corey Cohee of Milford, Delaware, for stealing a Tesla Cybertruck from a residence in Lincoln yesterday morning.

On May 18, 2024, at approximately 8:10 a.m., troopers responded to a residence on Brick Granary Road in Lincoln for a report of a stolen vehicle. Upon arriving, troopers learned the victim’s 2024 silver Tesla Cybertruck with temporary New Jersey registration was stolen from his property by an unknown suspect. Troopers responded to the area where the victim’s Tesla was tracking and located the occupied truck on a dirt path off of Pinecone Drive. However, before troopers could approach the truck, it fled toward Pinecone Drive. The Tesla disregarded all police signals and did not stop as it continued traveling on Pinecone Drive toward Brick Granary Road. After a brief pursuit, the Tesla came to a stop on Brick Granary Road, and the driver/sole occupant, identified as Corey Cohee, was taken into custody without incident.

Cohee was taken to Troop 7, where he was charged with the crimes listed below, arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 3, and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on a $4,002 secured bond.

• Theft of a Motor Vehicle (Felony)
• Disregarding a Police Officer Signal (Felony)
• Criminal Trespass
• Failure to Have License in Possession

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