Newark Police Detectives have charged two and obtained warrants for a third suspect in recent incidents of vehicle theft and related offenses.

After review of surveillance video, follow-up on the use of a credit card stolen from a vehicle on East Main Street and other investigative measures, Newark Police Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Paul W. Gore (AKA Paul W. Havener), 31, of Wilmington.  The warrant charges Gore with the following offenses:

• Identity Theft
• Burglary Third Degree (3 counts)
• Theft Over $1,500
• Theft of a Motor Vehicle (3 counts)
• Conspiracy Second Degree (2 counts)
• Unlawful Use of a Payment Card

The charges result from the June 29th vehicle theft on South College Ave, June 30th attempted vehicle theft on East Main Street and June 30th vehicle theft on East Delaware Avenue.

Gore is currently incarcerated in a Delaware prison on unrelated charges and will be processed on his charges in the near future.

Gore was found to have conspired to commit these crimes with Joseph Knapp, 23, of West Chester, PA.  Knapp’s warrant charges him with the following offenses:

• Identity Theft (2 counts)
• Burglary Third Degree (4 counts)
• Theft Under $1,500 (3 counts)
• Theft of a Motor Vehicle (2 counts)
• Unlawful Use of a Payment Card (2 counts)
• Conspiracy Second Degree (2 counts)
• Theft By False Pretense

The charges in Knapp’s case result from the June 29th vehicle theft on South College Ave, June 30th attempted vehicle theft on East Main Street, June 30th vehicle theft on East Delaware Avenue and July 1st theft from a vehicle parked on East Main Street.  Knapp was also found in the vehicle stolen from East Delaware Avenue when it was recovered in Philadelphia, PA on July 1, 2020.

On July 9, 2020, Knapp was taken into custody without incident when he was observed in a shopping center in Newark.  He appeared before Justice of the Peace Court #11 by video and was ordered to be held in default of $20,000 secured bail.  Knapp was turned over to the custody of the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution in Wilmington.

Additionally, Newark Police took Alexandra Taylor, 33, of Wilmington, into custody.  Taylor was with Knapp at the time of his arrest.  Detectives recognized Taylor from surveillance video, as she had been seen using a credit card stolen from a vehicle on East Main Street on June 28, 2020.  Taylor was charged with:

• Identity Theft
• Unlawful Use of a Payment Card
• Theft By False Pretense Under $1,500
• Receiving Stolen Property Under $1,500

Taylor appeared before Justice of the Peace Court #11 by video and was released on her own recognizance.

The other crimes detailed in the original press release are still under investigation. Anyone with information about those incidents is asked to contact Det. W. Anderson at (302) 366-7100 x. 3469 or wanderson@newark.de.us.  Additional methods for providing information to Newark Police can be found on our tips page, where reward information may also be available.

The original press release can be found here.

On June 30, 2020, at about 1700 hours, a male suspect knocked on the door of the victim’s residence on Independence Circle.  The suspect was unknown to the victim.  The male victim, who is over 65 years old, answered the door.  The suspect asked to use the bathroom of the victim’s residence.  After using the bathroom, the suspect asked for an item which caused the victim to go into another room.  When the victim returned, the suspect was gone and the victim found that his wallet was missing.

On July 2, 2020, at about 1800 hours, a male resident of Independence Circle, who is over 90 years old, allowed a male suspect, who was unknown to the resident, to enter his residence to get something to eat.  When the resident went into another room and returned, he found that the unknown male had left the residence.  The victim then found that his wallet was missing from his residence.  The wallet was later recovered after it had been discarded a short distance away from the residence.

On July 8, 2020, at about 2030 hours, the suspect returned to the first victim’s residence and sat on the victim’s porch.  Recognizing the suspect from the prior week, the victim proceeded to speak with the suspect and then invited him into the residence.  Once inside the residence, the victim struck the suspect multiple times with a metal pipe, before the suspect fled the residence on foot.

The suspect in these incidents is described as a black male, 5’9″, 32-38 years of age, 3 teeth on the top of his mouth and wearing a t-shirt and black shorts.

Images of the suspect were captured by various video sources.

Anyone with information about the identity of the suspect in these incidents is asked to contact PO Santos at (302) 366-7100 x. 3144 or jsantos@newark.de.us.  Additional methods for providing information to Newark Police can be found on our tips page, where reward information may also be available.