“The Big Bad Wolf of Drug Culture” Armed Robber) Maybe Drug- Related
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oo© @ u d rev iew T he Review TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016 VOLUME 14?, ISSUE 17 The University of Delaware's independent student newspaper since 1882 | udreview.com “The big bad wolf of drug culture” Armed Inside the Delaware heroin epidemic robber) maybe drug- related SARAH GIBSON Senior Reporter On Feb. 27 at approximately 1:20 a.m., three still unidentified men armed with handguns robbed a home on the 200 block of E. Main Street. The robbery allegedly was drug related and the home may have been specifically targeted, according to police. The suspects stole the victims’ cell phones as well as money, identification documents and drugs. There were JACK BEATSON/ THE REVIEW three victims in the home. None of After nearly $500,000 worth of drugs were discovered in Delaware, it is evident that there is a heroin epidemic present in the state. them required medical attention. According to the home’s resident, a 21-year-old university student who has yet to be publicly JACK BEATSON good friends, as well as classmates, he knew w hat he w as in for, got him all anymore at that point,” he said. identified, was at home with two Staff Reporter since we ere young. Throughout set to go. Thorton, in his current state After two months of his bingeing, friends when the suspects knocked his teenage years, Thorton dabbled of mind, was not v ery concerned about a group of his friends confronted him on his door. When he answered, On Feb. 17, The News Journal in many different areas of drugs the long term effects of the drug. .As about his usage and told him it had the suspects struck him in the announced that 48,000 bags of heroin —everything from psychedelics to he had once kicked an addiction to gone too far. Thorton realized that face, possibly with a handgun. had been seized from a total of five narcotics, including experimental Oxycodone, a commonly abused they were right and quit cold turkey, A friend of the victims, who New ark and New Castle area residents. research chemicals, such as MXE, a painkiller, he convinced himself that he said. wished to remain anonymous, This amount, worth 5488,000, is the drug which functions primarily as an he could beat heroin, that it would be a For eight months he once again was not at the house during the largest seizing in the state’s history; antidepressant. Thorton did his best one-time thing or, at worst, something enjoy ed a heroin-free life and he had robbery. However, they said they Delaware’s heroin epidemic has not to discriminate when it came to the he did on occasion. no temptations to go back to using, knew more about the robbery than exploded in the past couple of years; use of drugs, but even for him, heroin “The first time doing that stuff Thorton said. That is, until one day the press release told. the drug took 180 lives in 2015 and w as off limits. was pure euphoria,” Thorton said. “1 when he was shov eling the snow from “It was a random robbery, but has continued to work its way into “It’s the big, bad wolf of drug honestly couldn't have cared about his driveway and began to develop everybody is fine,” they said. “They circulation in both the downtown and culture,” Thorton said. “It’s like...not anything even if 1 wanted to.” terrible back pains. got some money taken from their suburban areas of Wilmington. ev en the potheads will do this!” A month later, Thorton tried As the pain got worse, Thorton wallets and their phones taken.” Nineteen-year-old W ilmington How ever, when Thorton was 17 he heroin for the second time. This time began to think more about returning They said the victims found resident James Thorton, whose name found himself caught up in the middle he began to seize and his friends drove to using He sought out one of his their phones outside the house has been changed, has had more of some heroin users. They were not him home while he was v omiting. friends, purchased a bag usually after the robbery took place. than his fair share of experiences people with whom he generally hung “I didn’t really think that it was a containing 100 milligrams of heroin, Victims described the with drugs. He has seen the effects of out around, but shortly into their problem at the time,” Thorton said. “I for 10 dollars. Thorton’s relapse lasted suspects as, “light-skinned black heroin firsthand and fought against time together, the group began using. thought 'oh, I just did too much.’” for fiv e days. males, approximately 18-22 years its addictive properties not once, but Thorton recalls an initial intent to stay His usage only continued to get Thorton was high on heroin of age,” according to a police press twice. away from the substance, but as he more frequent from there. It got to at virtually every minute of those release. .All three suspects were “I was very fond of pot,” Thorton continued to be exposed to its usage, a the point where he was snorting the five days, he said. He was hardly wearing dark colored sweatpants, said, sitting across from me on a desire began to creep over him. powder as much as he possibly could, home during this time, and was sweatshirts with the hoods up and couch in my apartment’s living room. “I was dealing with terrible said Thorton. He often found himself mixing depressants with stimulants bandanas obscuring their faces. “Smoking pot was my thing. At least, depression - it w as extremely bad. And nodding off during his classes, and constantly as well. Police have no more so 1 thought.” so 1 though' ‘y ou know what? F—k it!”’ was overwhelmed with a feeling of information on the suspects. Thorton and I have been fairly he said. general apathy. See HEROIN on page 3 His friends, after confirming that “I wasn’t really feeling much Newark crime trending down JILLIAN HAMMOND according to university police Chief Since the app has been created, there Tieman said. said. Staff Reporter Patrick Ogden and Captain Jason has been more help from students With robberies down and Freshman Sarah Harlan said she Pires. This advantage has allowed reporting crimes, Ogden said. clearances up, this allows officers to has never felt threatened but does During the past six years, the dispatchers to notify officers and The goal for the UDPD, Ogden said, have the upper hand on offenders. notice consistent UD alerts for a university has seen a decrease in prevent crimes Ogden said. is to not just arrest away problems. “I think word goes out if you get specific location. crime on and off campus with nev The UDPD has added another “Our mission is to get out in front caught in Newark, you have a good “That’s the only thing I feel like technology sources, programs and detective who focuses on crime of the problem,” Ogden said. chance of getting picked up,’ Tieman I’ve been getting alerts about, is stuff methods used by the University of analysis. This detective sees when, The effort from the UDPD and said. happening on Cleveland Avenue,” Delaware Police Department (UDPD) where and what time crime happens. the NPD has been able to decrease New surveillance cameras and Harlan said. and the Newark Police Department This then allows police to deploy crime in the city of Newark. The NPD license plate readers have allowed Senior Brad Wolak has noticed (NPD). resources to a scene, Ogden said. specifically has reported an overall 48 officers to solve crimes and follow a decrease. He remembers freshman Between the years of 2010 to Unlike previous years, the UDPD percent decrease in “Part 1” offenses up on previous crimes. Social media year, getting three alerts a week for 2015, the UDPD has reported an has more officers in the field. Ogden since 2006. has also helped with sending alerts Haines Street. Though Wolak sees overall 44.87 percent decrease in “Part said they have officers on bikes, on Since Chief Paul M. Tieman joined according to Lt. Bill Hargrov e. alerts have decreased, current alerts 1” offenses, which includes aggravated foot and ones in plain clothes. the NPD in 2007, many changes have Both departments hope to have described more violent offenses. assault, tneft and robbery. Chief Ogden assures that adding been made to decrease crime. connect with the public through “You can’t get it to zero," Wolak The UDPD has implemented new these different officers will only help The department has been things like the “Copline Bling” video said. programs and technology sources that make the univ ersity community safer. fixusing on its Street Crimes Unit and the “HugACop” event. UDPD has The UDPD plans to continue the have allowed it to track crime more “The people who commit these and Fall Suppression plan, which also added two new officers who will use of their new programs and remain efficiently than before. robberies are looking for an easy places officers in spots with high walk and talk with students to build a open to new methods. In 2010, the police department target,” Ogden said. criminal activity. This has helped with rapport with them. “It’s extremely safe, but we try to started with 35 video cameras in the The LiveSafe app has also helped, pre' ention, Tieman said. Students have their own views.