Check on the Welfare Call Leads to DUI and Weapon Arrest

The Delaware State Police arrested 47-year-old Samuel Etheridge of Norristown, Pennsylvania, for DUI and gun charges on Sunday morning in Wilmington.

On April 14, 2024, at approximately 7:39 a.m., troopers were called for a report of an unresponsive driver who had stopped at the stop sign located on Ramsey Road, at the intersection of Thompsons Bridge Road. Upon arriving, troopers contacted the sole occupant of a maroon Acura, identified as Samuel Etheridge, who showed signs of impairment. While he was being taken into custody, a trooper saw a handgun on the driver’s seat in plain sight. Etheridge was transported to Troop 1 where he completed Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. A computer check revealed the loaded gun had been reported as stolen by the Richland Township Police Department in 2006. The computer inquiry showed Etheridge is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing a firearm and/or ammunition. He was charged with the below crimes, arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 11, and committed to Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on a $77,000 cash bond.

• Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony (Felony)
• Possession of a Firearm or Ammunition by a Person Prohibited (Felony)
• Receiving a Stolen Firearm (Felony)
• Driving a Vehicle Under the Influence of Alcohol
• Possession of a Firearm While Under the Influence
• Traffic Offenses

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Staff Writer