Newark Man Charged With Sexual Assault of Child He Met Through Social Media

In late June, 2022, Newark Police were contacted by the mother of an 11 year-old girl.  The mother reported that she located a series of sexual messages between her daughter and an unknown person.  Newark Police detectives began an investigation.

During the course of the investigation, detectives determined that beginning about two months prior, the victim, had been exchanging messages via Snapchat with a male later identified as Anthony Omeire, 34, of Newark.  Detectives determined that the victim’s mother and Omeire had met one time at a local restaurant, but had not had contact since.  Omeire located the Snapchat account of the victim and began to send a series of sexual messages to the victim.  Omeire then went to the home of the mother’s ex-husband, where the victim was staying, and forced the victim to engage in sexual intercourse with him.

On July 20, 2022, detectives arrested Omeire at his residence without incident.  He was transported to Newark Police headquarters where he was charged with two counts of Rape First Degree.  Omeire appeared before Justice of the Peace Court #2 by video and was ordered to be held in default of $200,000 cash bail.  Omeire was turned over to the custody of the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution in Wilmington.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Sgt. J. Skinner at (302) 366-7100 x. 3135 or jskinner@newark.de.us. Additional methods for providing information to Newark Police can be found on our tips page.

Victims of crime in Newark may contact our Victim Services Coordinator, Ms. Melissa Pennachi, at (302) 366-7100 x. 3137 or mpennachi@newark.de.us.  Our Victim Services Coordinator is available to provide resources to victims of crime and assist them through the investigation and prosecution process.

There are many resources available for parents to help make sure that their children are safe in the digital world.  The United States Department of Justice provides the following tips at this site:

• Discuss internet safety and develop an online safety plan with children before they engage in online activity. Establish clear guidelines, teach children to spot red flags, and encourage children to have open communication with you.
• Supervise young children’s use of the internet, including periodically checking their profiles and posts. Keep electronic devices in open, common areas of the home and consider setting time limits for their use.
• Review games, apps, and social media sites before they are downloaded or used by children. Pay particular attention to apps and sites that feature end-to-end encryption, direct messaging, video chats, file uploads, and user anonymity, which are frequently relied upon by online child predators.
• Adjust privacy settings and use parental controls for online games, apps, social medial sites, and electronic devices.
• Tell children to avoid sharing personal information, photos, and videos online in public forums or with people they do not know in real life. Explain to your children that images posted online will be permanently on the internet.
• Teach children about body safety and boundaries, including the importance of saying ‘no’ to inappropriate requests both in the physical world and the virtual world.
• Be alert to potential signs of abuse, including changes in children’s use of electronic devices, attempts to conceal online activity, withdrawn behavior, angry outbursts, anxiety, and depression.
• Encourage children to tell a parent, guardian, or other trusted adult if anyone asks them to engage in sexual activity or other inappropriate behavior.
• Immediately report suspected online enticement or sexual exploitation of a child by calling 911, contacting the FBI at tips.fbi.gov, or filing a report with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-843-5678 or report.cybertip.org.

Additional tips and methods to keep children safe online can be found on our website.