Del. Man To Serve 5 Years For Burglary, Swiping Officer’s Gun
SNOW HILL — A Bridgeville, Del. man, arrested in March on numerous charges including first-degree burglary and discharging a firearm he swiped from a federal officer before being nabbed on the Boardwalk a short time later, pleaded guilty this week and was sentenced to 12 years in jail, all but five of which were then suspended.
Around 11:15 p.m. on March 16, Ocean City police responded to the Comfort Inn on the Boardwalk in response to a burglary and the theft of an off-duty federal law enforcement officer’s handgun. OCPD officers arrived at the scene and met with the victim, who was identified as an off-duty federal officer who was staying in the hotel for the weekend. The victim told OCPD officers he had left the room and returned later to discover his .40 caliber handgun and several items of personal property were missing and believed to have been stolen.
During the on-scene investigation, OCPD officers were able to view the hotel’s video surveillance system, which further helped identify a suspect. The description of the suspect was broadcast to other officers in the area. Within 30 minutes of the initial report, OCPD officers located a suspect at 8th Street and the Boardwalk later identified as Jeffrey Lynn King, 19, of Bridgeville, Del.
OCPD officers recovered from the waistband of King’s pants a loaded .40 caliber handgun. In addition, officers recovered several other items belonging to the victim, which were reported stolen during the burglary. During the course of the investigation, it was determined King had allegedly fired the handgun in the hotel room during the burglary.
King was arrested and charged with first-, third- and fourth-degree burglary, possession of a handgun, reckless endangerment and discharging a firearm within Ocean City. It was also determined King had an outstanding warrant from Wicomico County.
King pleaded guilty this week to first-degree burglary and was sentenced to 12 years in jail, all but five years of which were then suspended. He was also placed on supervised probation for two years upon his release. The nine other charges against him, including discharging the handgun in the hotel room, were not prosecuted.
