On Monday, November 11, 2024, officers from the New Castle County Division of Police arrested 61-year-old Joseph Clark in Wilmington, following a tip regarding the possible location of a missing 17-year-old from Pennsylvania.
According to police, Clark initially denied knowledge of the individual’s whereabouts when contacted at his residence; however, officers later located the missing individual at the property, leading to Clark’s arrest.
Police stated that detectives from the Criminal Investigation Unit were notified and assumed the case after Clark was taken to New Castle Police headquarters. During their investigation, police alleged that Clark had engaged in unlawful sexual contact with the 17-year-old while the minor was staying at his home.
Clark was charged with multiple offenses, including three felony counts of second-degree unlawful sexual contact with a person under 18, one misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a child by knowingly harboring a runaway, and one misdemeanor count of providing false statements to law enforcement.
Following his arraignment at the Justice of the Peace Court 11, Clark was remanded to the Howard Young Correctional Institution after being unable to post $40,000 cash bail.