David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced that William Bailey, 39, of Smyrna was sentenced on November 16, 2022, to 10 years in federal prison for his role in an attempted Dover home invasion. Chief U.S. District Judge Colm F. Connolly pronounced the sentence.
According to court documents and statements made at the sentencing, around midnight on May 10, 2018, Bailey attempted a home invasion with separately charged defendant, Tyler Deberry, and another man. Armed with a sawed-off rifle, the three men tried to force their way into a Dover mobile home, expecting to rob its occupants of drugs and cash. The intruders attempted to enter through the trailer’s back door but found it blocked on the inside by a washer/dryer. One of the intruders forced his head, shoulder, arm, and the rifle through the blocked doorway, while victims within the home fought back, pushing against the door to force it closed. Several shots were fired in the struggle before a victim took the rifle away from the intruders, who then fled. At sentencing, the prosecutor noted that this was Bailey’s second conviction for home evasion. Defendant Tyler Deberry’s sentencing is set for February 6, 2023.
U.S. Attorney Weiss stated, “In the middle of the night, the defendant joined with others in an armed attempt to break into a home. Bailey and his confederates’ dangerous plan failed only because the door was blocked, and the occupants fought back. My office is committed to prosecuting violent crimes, even more so when those crimes are committed by recidivists.”
The case was investigated by the Dover Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edmond Falgowski and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Robinson.
