Delaware State Police arrested 21-year-old Adrien Owens of New Castle, Delaware, for several felony charges following a New Castle area Royal Farms robbery investigation that began in June.
Officials said on June 25, 2024, at approximately 11:28 a.m., troopers responded to a report of a robbery at the Royal Farms, located at 2160 New Castle Avenue in New Castle. The preliminary investigation revealed that an unknown black male suspect selected food products from the store and walked out of the business without paying for the items.
Before fleeing, the suspect approached a Royal Farms employee in the parking lot and repeatedly punched him until the employee fell to the ground, which caused a minor injury according to police. The suspect then entered a black Chrysler sedan and fled in an unknown direction with the shoplifted items.
Through investigative means, Troop 2 Robbery Detectives identified the suspect involved in the robbery as Adrien Owens and obtained a warrant for his arrest. On July 10, 2024, detectives located Owens and the black Chrysler sedan in the New Castle area. A brief struggle ensued as detectives made contact with Owens and attempted to take him into custody. Officials said as Owens continued resisting arrest, he made several attempts to reach for a black bag slung across his body. After Owens was taken into custody, a search of the black bag led to the discovery of a loaded Polymer80 ghost gun with a large capacity magazine containing 32 9mm rounds of ammunition.
A computer inquiry revealed Owens is a convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Owens was taken to Troop 2, where he was charged with the crimes listed below, arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 2, and committed to Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on a $62,500 cash bond.
- Robbery 1st Degree (Felony)
- Possession of a Destructive Weapon (Felony)
- Possess Large Capacity Magazine (Felony)
- Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony (Felony)
- Resisting Arrest (Felony)
- Noncompliance with Conditions of Bond (Felony)