Laurel Police have updated a story that only First State Update brought you yesterday.
Officials said on July 19, 2024, the Laurel Police Department announced an increased police presence at the Holly Brook Farms Apartment Complex on Grazing Court in Laurel. This was in response to two simultaneous residential search warrants executed as part of two multi-month drug dealing investigations. These searches resulted in the recovery of a loaded firearm and several hundred doses of heroin, leading to four felony arrests.
The first warrant was executed at the 800 Building, where heroin packaged for sale was found. (Picture 4) Ty W. Weston, 36, and (Picture 3) Brittany Lake, 34, both of Laurel, were arrested and charged with the following crimes:
- Possession with Intent to Deliver Heroin (Class D Felony)
- Conspiracy Second Degree (Class G Felony)
- Possession of Controlled Substance (Class B Misdemeanor)
- Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (4 counts, Class B Misdemeanor)
Both were arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 2 and released on their own recognizance. Weston, already serving probation for a prior drug dealing conviction, was detained for a probation violation.
The second warrant was executed at the 1400 Building, where a heroin packaging operation and a loaded firearm were discovered in the presence of multiple juveniles. Two individuals were arrested. During one arrest, a suspect escaped from a police vehicle while handcuffed and fled on foot. Officials said despite limited resources due to the ongoing searches, units were dispatched to River Road in Blades following a report of suspicious activity.
The suspect, identified as Devon S. Mumford, 31, of Laurel, was going door to door asking for bolt cutters. After a foot pursuit, he was arrested and taken to the Laurel Police Department following a medical evaluation.
(Picture 2) Mumford, a convicted felon prohibited from possessing firearms, was charged with:
- Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony (Class B Felony)
- Possession of a Firearm by Person Prohibited of a Violent Felony (Class C Felony)
- Possession of a Firearm While Also Possessing Controlled Substance (Class C Felony)
- Possession With Intent to Distribute Heroin in Tier 2 Quantity (Class C Felony)
- Possession of Ammunition by Person Prohibited (Class D Felony)
- Possession of Heroin in Tier 2 Quantity (Class E Felony)
- Manufacturing Drug Paraphernalia (2 counts, Class G Felony)
- Theft Under $1500 (Class A Misdemeanor)
- Endangering the Welfare of a Child (4 counts, Class A Misdemeanor)
- Escape Third Degree (Class A Misdemeanor)
- Resisting Arrest (Class A Misdemeanor)
- Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (Class B Misdemeanor)
Mumford was arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 2 and committed to the Department of Corrections on $147,200 cash-only bail. He was also detained for a probation violation from a prior firearm possession conviction.
Court records show that Mumford was out on supervised custody at the time of the incident.
(Picture 1) Alvina Bennefield-Phillips, 36, of Laurel, the tenant of the target residence, was charged with:
- Maintaining a Drug Property (Class F Felony)
She was arraigned and released on her own recognizance.
Delaware State Police and the Department of Probation and Parole for their assisted the Laurel Police in the investigation.