Newark Man Charged With Drug Offenses and Assault on a Police Officer

On June 1, 2021, at about 0018 hours, a Newark Police Officer observed a vehicle driving on Casho Mill Road, near Thorn Lane, without its headlights on.  The officer attempted to stop the vehicle.  The vehicle fled onto Elkton Road and then to O’Daniel Avenue, where the driver fled on foot.  The officer chased the driver on foot and the driver was taken to the ground, where the driver resisted attempts to place him into custody.  During the course of the struggle to handcuff the driver, an officer sustained a laceration to his hand and some of the officer’s equipment was damaged.  The officer was treated and released for the injury to his hand.

During the foot pursuit, the driver was observed discarding a bag that was later found to contain more than 130 bags of suspected heroin and larger bags of crack cocaine, along with drug paraphernalia.

The driver was identified as Javon Harding, 26, of Newark.

Harding was transported to Newark Police headquarters where he was charged with:

• Assault Second Degree on a Law Enforcement Officer
• Possession With Intent to Deliver Heroin
• Possession With Intent to Deliver Cocaine
• Disregarding a Police Officer’s Signal
• Resisting Arrest
• Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
• Criminal Mischief Under $1000
• Traffic violations

Harding appeared before Justice of the Peace Court #11 by video and was released on $9,152 unsecured bail.  He was transported to Howard R. Young Correctional Institution in Wilmington on an unrelated capias.