Delaware
State Rep. Mike Ramone won’t seek reelection. He plans to run for Delaware governor
Rev. Al Sharpton calls for diversity in Delaware courts
Citizens for Judicial Fairness hosted a rally in Wilmington that featured civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton speaking in support of judicial diversity. 4/30/24
Pike Creek Republican state Rep. Mike Ramone says he won’t seek reelection to the House of Representatives this year, opting to run for Delaware governor, instead.
Ramone announced his intentions to run in the First State’s gubernatorial race during an interview with a Delmarva radio talk show on Friday, explaining that he plans to file his candidacy on Monday.
Ramone in a news release from the House Republican Caucus sent out Friday announced the Republican incumbent would not seek reelection to the 21st District seat in November.
Ramone, who currently serves as the House Minority Leader, expects to relocate downstate, which would prevent him from retaining the seat. Plus, the release stated, Ramone expects to run for governor.
“I was uncomfortable seeking a new House term under those circumstances,” he said in the release. “While I am excited to kick off a new venture in the coming days, I will certainly miss directly serving the citizens of the 21st District.”
DELAWARE GOVERNOR’S RACE: GOP chair says she’ll run, setting up a Republican primary race
Ramone’s intentions to run for governor on the Republican line sets up a three-way primary for the ticket in September. Delaware GOP chair Julianne Murray says she will run for state governor and intends to file May 8. Meanwhile, Republican gubernatorial candidate Jerrold Price is on the ballot having filed his candidacy for the seat in December 2023.
The future of the 21st District
Ramone, who was first elected to the seat in 2008, narrowly won his reelection in 2022.
Two Democratic candidates are vying for the seat: Michael Smith, a former legislative aide and substitute teacher – not to be confused with Michael F. Smith, who is the District 22 representative, and Frank Burns, a climate activist and biotech entrepreneur who unsuccessfully challenged Ramone in 2022.
DELAWARE GENERAL ASSEMBLY: What seats are up for election? Races take shape
Along with serving as the House minority leader, Ramone sits on the administration, ethics, rules, legislative council and veterans affairs committees.
Ramone thanked his constituents for allowing him to serve them for the past 16 years.
“Your support over the years has meant the world to Lisa and me,” he said. “My family is forever grateful to each of you.”
The race for Delaware governor
The Republican contenders for governor will face one of three Democratic candidates for governor in the general election Nov. 5.
Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long, New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer and former Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Collin O’Mara are all vying for the Democratic line.
ELECTION ISSUES: Rev. Al Sharpton returns to Delaware to rally voters, demand a more diverse court system
The Democratic candidates as well as the only filed Republican candidate for governor, Price, have been invited to a gubernatorial forum on Delaware’s education system hosted by Vision Coalition of Delaware at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 8, at Polytech High School near Woodside. This is the first event featuring the gubernatorial candidates to be held in Delaware.
Got a tip? Contact Amanda Fries at afries@delawareonline.com. Follow her on X at @mandy_fries.
Delaware
Delaware man sentenced to prison after kidnapping, raping woman during crime spree
A Delaware man who was convicted of kidnapping and other offenses for a multi-state crime spree in which he raped a woman at gunpoint has been sentenced to 75 years in prison, officials said.
Tonnaire McNair-Matthews, 26, was sentenced to a total of 900 months, or 75 years, in federal prison for six offenses, including kidnapping, carjacking, robbery, and related firearms offenses, according to the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Delaware. This sentencing follows Nair-Matthews’s conviction on all counts after a July 2024 trial.
Officials said that court records and evidence presented during the four-day trial, McNair-Matthews conspired with David Hinson, 23, Michael Caldwell, 21, and Mahkiya Powell, 20, to rear-end unsuspecting drivers with a stolen Jeep Grand Cherokee and then rob the drivers when they got out to inspect their vehicles for damage.
After three unsuccessful attempts, officials said McNair-Matthews rear-ended one victim’s vehicle. When the woman got out, McNair-Matthews abducted her at gunpoint, forcing her back into the passenger seat of her own vehicle.
Officials said McNair-Matthews then drove the woman, against her will, from Delaware into Pennsylvania. During the drive, McNair-Matthews demanded the PIN code for the victim’s bank cards, forced her to disrobe, and “digitally penetrated her against her will.” McNair-Matthews then stopped the vehicle and forcibly raped the victim at gunpoint.
McNair-Matthews abandoned the victim in Pennsylvania, according to officials. He drove her vehicle back to Delaware, where he visited various convenience stores and used her stolen bank cards and PIN code to withdraw money from ATMs.
After, officials said McNair-Matthews reunited with Hinson, Powell, and Caldwell in Wilmington. Once there, he provided them with the victim’s bank cards and PIN, as well as the firearm he had used in the carjacking and rape.
Hinson, Powell, and Caldwell then cleaned the victim’s car and stole her purse, officials shared.
After McNair-Matthews changed clothes, officials said the four men met up at a Wilmington gas station, where law enforcement found them. McNair-Matthews and Powell quickly fled, leading officers on a high-speed chase in the stolen Jeep.
Officials said McNair-Matthews and Powell temporarily evaded police, but McNair-Matthews was found three days later after fleeing to Maryland.
“This was a calculated, predatory attack that shattered an innocent woman’s sense of safety,” Julianne E. Murray, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, said in a news release. “The Court’s sentence delivers justice for a survivor who showed extraordinary courage. Moreover, it sends a clear message that those who terrorize our communities with violence, intimidation, and exploitation will be pursued, prosecuted, and held fully accountable. Finally, I commend the vigilant work of the FBI, the Delaware State Police, and the Pennsylvania State Police for swiftly bringing the defendant to justice.”
Delaware
State Police seek help locating woman wanted on warrants in Delaware & Chenango Counties
DELAWARE COUNTY, N.Y. (WBNG) — New York State Police are asking for help locating a woman with active warrants in both Delaware and Chenango County.
According to police, Alora S. Stott, 25, of Oneonta, is wanted on warrants after failing to appear for scheduled court dates.
The court dates were related to charges Stott is facing including criminal possession of a forged instrument and criminal possession of stolen property.
The charges stem from her arrest in Delaware County in January, at which time state troopers found Stott in possession of a stolen checkbook and multiple forged and stolen checks.
In addition to these charges, Stott faces an additional charge of criminal possession of stolen property after police found her and three others in possession of a stolen truck in Chenango County.
Anyone with information regarding her whereabouts is asked to contact the New York State Police at 607-561-7400.
Copyright 2025 WBNG. All rights reserved.
Delaware
Delaware man charged with possessing
A Delaware man is in custody and facing federal charges after several guns were found in his home, along with apparent plans to attack the University of Delaware Police Department, prosecutors and federal court documents say.
Luqmaan Khan, 25, was charged last Wednesday with illegally possessing a machine gun, Acting U.S. Attorney Julianne Murray announced in a news release.
Khan, a University of Delaware student, allegedly drew up the layout of a UDel police station and made comments to investigators about martyrdom, according to Murray and court documents filed in the U.S. District Court in Wilmington.
Authorities say Khan was stopped by New Castle County police officers late on the night of Monday, Nov. 24. The officers were in Canby Park West when they spotted a white Toyota Tacoma truck and stopped the vehicle.
Khan was inside the truck and did not comply with officers’ orders to exit the truck. He was then taken into custody for resisting arrest, Murray said.
Inside the truck, officers found a .357 Glock handgun with a stabilizing brace kit attached, along with more magazines and an armored ballistic plate, and a composition notebook.
In the notebook, there were notes about more weapons and how they could be used to attack the University of Delaware Police Department.
“The notebook referenced a member of the University of Delaware’s Police Department by name, and included a layout of a building with entry and exit points under which the words ‘UD Police Station’ were printed,” Murray said.
Khan also referenced “martyrdom” in the notebook and stated in an interview with police following his arrest that being a martyr is “one of the greatest things you can do,” and was a goal of his, the affidavit alleges.
University of Delaware Interim President Laura Carlson addressed the charges against Khan in a statement to the university community Tuesday.
Carlson identified Khan as an undergraduate student and said he has been temporarily separated from the university and banned from campus until his legal matters are resolved.
“There are no known or immediate threats to the University of Delaware community. However, the press release describes evidence of a plan that targeted the University of Delaware Police Department (UDPD). This is frightening to all of us,” Carlson wrote. “The press release contains relevant information about the timeline and the actions of the New Castle County Police, the FBI, the Department of Justice and UDPD. I am incredibly grateful to these teams for their diligent investigation and coordination.”
The FBI and New Castle County police obtained a search warrant and searched Khan’s home in Wilmington on Nov. 25. The search turned up another Glock handgun, which was equipped with a “switch,” also referred to as a “Glock switch.”
This is a modification that can turn a standard semi-automatic handgun into a fully automatic one, according to CBS News Philadelphia’s previous reporting. The court documents referred to the Glock with the switch as a “machine gun.”
A rifle was also found in the home, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in court. There are no weapons registered to Khan in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, the document says.
According to the document, Khan is an American citizen who was born in Pakistan. He has no prior convictions on his record.
Khan is being represented by a federal public defender. Court records show he is in custody pending a detention hearing on Dec. 11, at which time a judge could rule whether to release him on certain conditions or keep him incarcerated until the case is resolved.
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