A Newark man has been sentenced to prison for a violent assault on a Newark police officer during a shoplifting investigation that occurred in 2022.
Rodney Duffy, 39, was sentenced on July 24 in New Castle County Superior Court to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of Assault First Degree and one count of Resisting Arrest with Force.
According to Delaware Department of Correction records, Duffy appeared to have been out on bond until April 08, 2026, where he was taken back into custody after his plea deal and is scheduled for release in November 2032.
The charges stem from an incident on Dec. 13, 2022, when Newark Police responded to the Acme supermarket at 100 Suburban Drive for a reported shoplifting in progress. Investigators said an officer located Duffy in the rear of the store and attempted to detain him after he tried to walk away. During the encounter, Duffy repeatedly struck the officer in the head, causing serious injuries, and attempted to remove the officer’s service weapon from its holster before additional officers arrived and took him into custody.
The officer, an eight-year veteran of the Newark Police Department, was transported to a local hospital for treatment and later released. However, the injuries sustained during the assault ultimately forced the officer to retire from law enforcement.
When Duffy was arrested in 2022, he was charged with Assault First Degree Against a Law Enforcement Officer, Robbery First Degree, Attempting to Remove a Firearm from the Possession of a Law Enforcement Officer, and Resisting Arrest with Force or Violence.
