Newark – Frank Van Buren, 24, of Laurel, will spend the next 9 years in prison for two robberies in early 2017. In January 2017, while wearing a ski mask and armed with a baseball bat, Van Buren demanded cash from an employee of Jefferson Deli and Grocery in the 600 block of West 9th Street in Wilmington. When the clerk didn’t respond, Van Buren opened the register and stole approximately $400 before fleeing the store.
A few weeks later in February 2017, this time armed with a sawed-off shotgun, Van Buren robbed the 7-11 store in the 600 block of East Chestnut Hill Road in Newark. Van Buren pled guilty in November 2017 to 2 counts of Robbery First Degree and one count of Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony.
A Superior Court judge sentenced Van Buren to 9 years in prison, followed by 6 months of work release or home confinement, then 18 months of probation.
Deputy Attorney General Rebecca Song prosecuted the case with the assistance of Detective Charlie Puit of the Wilmington Police Department and Detectives of the Delaware State Police.
