Beach Weekend Update
by Alan Henney
REHOBOTH POLICE SCRUTINIZE POPULAR NIGHTSPOTS, BUSINESSES
An officer appeared to self-initiate a complaint at Aqua Grill in the
second block of Baltimore Avenue at 11 p.m. Friday. No mention was
made over the radio as to the nature of the complaint. Later in the
evening Rehoboth Beach police visited Irish Eyes Pub, Sydney's
Restaurant and at least one other establishment, requesting a
complaint number and report time at each location. In at least one
case the officer indicated over the radio that it was for noise.
At 1 a.m. Monday (today) an officer requested a camera at Sydney's
Restaurant for a trash violation. He says the restaurant put its
trash out for pickup prior to 6 a.m. as prohibited by city ordinance.
Trash in front of Taste, at 122 Rehoboth Avenue, is also being
photographed for a similar violation reported by an officer at 1:10
a.m. In the ocean block of Rehoboth Avenue, Dippin Dots was reported
by an officer at 1:30 a.m. followed by Beat Street, and Imagination.
An officer says a discarded box in the pile has Imagination's name and
address on it.
As of 2 a.m., possible trash offenders on Wilmington Avenue include La
La Land, Rams Head at Rehoboth, Gus & Gus Place, and a food
establishment at the Sunview Motel. Officers say they are giving the
shop keepers an opportunity to take back the trash if they are still
at work.
REHOBOTH POLICE TOW FROM LIFEGUARD PARKING SPOTS
Third consecutive weekend for Stockley Street
For the third consecutive weekend a vehicle has been towed from
parking reserved for lifeguards on Stockley Street. Around 12:50 p.m.
Saturday, police removed a blue Honda CR-V. The Honda became at least
the fourth vehicle towed during the past three weekends from one of
the two Stockley Street lifeguard parking spaces.
Ironically, at the same time, a block south, on Norfolk Street, police
towed a silver Audi also parked in a lifeguard spot.
Are violators ignoring the LIFEGUARD PARKING ONLY signs or merely not
seeing them?
We photograph, you decide:
http://henney.com/weekend08/
STATE TROOPER KILLED IN DOUBLE-FATAL CRASH
A vehicle traveling north in the southbound lanes of Route 1 slammed
head-on into a trooper's patrol car around 2 a.m. Sunday south of
Milford near Route 30. The trooper was taken to Milford Memorial
Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. The driver of the other
vehicle died at the scene.
DelDOT radio chatter amongst highway personnel Sunday morning
suggested that the driver was possibly intoxicated and had just fled
an earlier accident on Route 1 near Route 16. Route 1 was closed in
both directions past 3:30 a.m.
A two-paragraph state police news release says further details of the
crash will be provided at a press conference later today (Monday) at
10:30 a.m. at the Delaware State Police Museum in Dover:
http://www.state.de.us/dsp/pio/oldham/071804%20Trooper%20killed%20in%20fatal%20crash.htm
MULTIPLE-VEHICLE WRECK BLOCKS ROUTE 1 TRAFFIC
A crash on Route 1 at the Rehoboth canal bridge blocked the northbound
lanes for about an hour Saturday. Three vehicles were damaged so
badly during the 6-p.m. wreck that police called for tow trucks to
have them removed. Police mentioned over the radio that a vehicle had
possibly left the scene and that alcohol use was suspected. The
injuries were not serious. Several of those involved had reportedly
used seatbelts. At least three people were taken to Beebe.
An unrelated crash closed Route 24 west of Road 310 in the Oak Orchard
area Sunday around 6:25 p.m. One trauma patient was taken from there
to Beebe Hospital after a vehicle struck a tree. The roadway reopened
about 45 minutes later.
MAN INJURED ON JET-SKI FLOWN TO BEEBE
Shortly after Saturday's crash on Route 1, a man was reported injured
on a jet-ski in the ocean near Conquest Road in the Delaware Seashore
State Park south of Dewey Beach. The state police helicopter landed
on the beach to fly him to Beebe around 6:30 p.m. Tedd Winneberger,
Sussex County EMS spokesman, said one of the reasons they decided to
fly the man was because of the traffic delays on Route 1 caused by the
accident. Traffic was backed up from the canal into Dewey Beach. He
said the only obvious serious injury the man suffered was possible
broken ribs.
INJURED MOTORCYCLIST FLOWN FROM SOUTH O.C.
A 19-year-old man was injured around 1:40 p.m. Sunday when he crashed
his motorcycle in the south end of Ocean City. A paramedic radio
report indicated that the man was found with his helmet off but he
apparently wore it at the time of the accident. The man suffered a
cut/bruise to his upper neck, possibly a closed-head/chest/abdomen
injury, was combative, but did not suffer any neurological loss. He
was flown to Salisbury from the Third-Street ball field.
O.C. BEACH GOERS STRUCK BY FLY-AWAY UMBRELLAS
Although Friday's wind did not appear particularly strong, two beach
goers in south Ocean City were injured by flying beach umbrellas. The
first injury was on Surf Avenue around 2:20 p.m., followed by another
on 19th Street at 4:50 p.m. Ambulances responded to both, but
injuries did not sound serious.
COAST GUARD RESCUES SINKING MAKO
The Coast Guard assisted two boaters Friday when their boat began to
sink about four miles from Ocean City inlet. The Coast Guard received
a cell phone call from one of the boaters around 6:20 p.m. stating
that their 25-foot Mako was taking on water.
The 47-foot motor lifeboat from Coast Guard Station Ocean City
delivered two dewatering pumps to the sinking boat. The crew was able
to bail-out the vessel. It was safely towed to West Ocean City
Marina.
A Coast Guard press release said the boaters did not use their onboard
VHF-FM radio, which made it more difficult for the Coast Guard to
locate them. The Coast Guard says it encourages boaters in distress
to use marine radios to summon assistance whenever possible. Not only
does a radio potentially offer better range than a cell phone, but
other boaters in the area will be able to hear the distress call and
provide more immediate assistance. Using a radio also provides the
Coast Guard with a signal that can be received by direction-finding
equipment.
REHOBOTH LIFEGUARDS ON LOOKOUT FOR PHOTOGRAPHER
A Rehoboth Beach lifeguard gave a lookout Sunday for a man about 40,
described as "baldish with a beer-gut." He was allegedly seen taking
pictures of children with his picture phone around 2:15 p.m.
POLICE BREAK UP ALTERCATION ON BEACH
Rehoboth Beach lifeguards and police broke up a reported domestic
Saturday between a D.C. couple on the beach in front of Candy Kitchen
on Rehoboth Avenue. An officer confiscated a knife around 3:30 p.m.,
and said at least one of the two suffered from mental problems. He
ordered their caretaker to take them back home to D.C.
LIGHTNING BLAMED FOR HOUSE FIRE IN WEST O.C.
A house on Old Bridge Road caught fire around 6:30 a.m. Sunday as
thunderstorms rolled through the area. Ocean City firefighters
extinguished the fire within minutes. A Coast Guard member from
Station Ocean City was reportedly one of the occupants of the house.
The Rehoboth Weekend Update is also posted on Yahoo Groups discussion
list for Rehoboth Beach and on the St. Mary's Today Website. Please
see:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Rehoboth_Beach/
http://www.stmarystoday.com/
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