(Wilmington, DE 19805) On Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at approximately 2:00 p.m., Detectives with the Active Crime Trends Team were conducting proactive patrols around Lancaster Avenue when they conducted a traffic stop for a violation on a teal Nissan Versa near the intersection of Lancaster Avenue and Cleveland Avenue.

While speaking with the driver, identified as 23-year-old Taiswan Gibbs of Wilmington, Detectives established probable cause to conduct a search of the vehicle. During the search, Detectives recovered a loaded 9mm handgun and more than 200 grams of marijuana, both concealed inside the vehicle, along with drug paraphernalia.

Further investigation determined that Taiswan Gibbs is prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Taiswan Gibbs was arrested and transported to New Castle County Police Headquarters and charged with the following offenses:

• One felony count of possession of a firearm by a person prohibited
• One felony count of possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony
• One felony count of possession of ammunition by a person prohibited
• One felony count of possession with intent to deliver
• One felony count of carrying a concealed deadly weapon
• One felony count of possession of a controlled substance, Tier 1
• One misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia
• One citation for driving while using a communication device
• One citation for violation of windshield material regulations

Taiswan Gibbs was arraigned in Justice of the Peace Court 2 and committed to Howard R. Young Correctional Institution after failing to post $47,770.00 secured bail.

Taiswan Gibbs – 23

The New Castle County Police Department is here to help!

Through our partnership with the Delaware Office of Highway Safety, our Community Services Unit now has a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician available to provide free car seat installations and safety inspections.

Our Officers can assist you with:

Installed Correctly?

Proper Harness Position?

Rear vs. Forward Facing Guidance

These are just a few of the valuable services our Officers provide!

For more information or to set up an appointment:

Call: 302-395-8050

Email: Carseat@Newcastlede.gov

For more info on keeping kids safe in the car, visit:

(Middletown, DE. 19709) On Friday, January 2, 2026, at approximately 11:08 p.m., an Officer with the New Castle County Division of Police, while on patrol, observed an older-model blue-and-white two-tone Ford F-150 leaving a section of the Whitehall development that is currently under construction. As the vehicle exited the development, the Officer observed the driver commit a traffic violation and activated emergency lights to initiate a motor vehicle stop on Lorewood Grove Road.

The driver immediately failed to stop and fled at an unsafe speed. The Officer subsequently lost sight of the vehicle; however, a short time later, another Officer located the truck on Ratledge Road, where the driver again failed to stop and continued to flee from Officers. The vehicle eventually entered the Crystal Run Farms neighborhood, where both occupants exited the truck and ran away into a wooded area in the 100 block of Crystal Run Drive.

The Delaware State Police Aviation Section, Trooper 4, was requested to assist with an aerial search and, upon arrival, located one of the suspects hiding in a wooded area near the railroad tracks. Officers quickly converged on the location and took 46-year-old Eric Loudermilk of Elkton, Maryland, the driver of the vehicle, into custody. With continued assistance from Trooper 4, the passenger, 59-year-old Thomas Yates of Dover, Delaware, was later located on the railroad tracks and taken into custody without further incident.

Eric Loudermilk was transported to New Castle County Police Headquarters, where he was charged with the following offenses:

• One felony count of Disregarding a Police Officer’s Signal
• One misdemeanor count of Resisting Arrest
• One misdemeanor count of Conspiracy in the Third Degree
• One misdemeanor count of Failure to Have Insurance in Possession
• One misdemeanor count of Operating an Unregistered Motor Vehicle
• One violation for Speeding in Excess of the Posted Speed Limit
• One violation for Failure to Signal Continuously
• One violation of Criminal Trespass in the Third Degree

Loudermilk was arraigned at Justice of the Peace Court 11 and committed to the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution after failing to post $2,005.00 secured bail.

Thomas Yates was transported to New Castle County Police Headquarters, where he was charged with the following offenses:

• One misdemeanor count of Resisting Arrest
• One misdemeanor count of Conspiracy in the Third Degree
• One violation of Criminal Trespass in the Third Degree

Yates was arraigned at Justice of the Peace Court 11 and released on $1,001.00 unsecured bail.

Eric Loudermilk – 46

Thomas Yates – 59