WILMINGTON, DE — Delaware State Police arrested 47-year-old Samuel Etheridge of Norristown, Pennsylvania, on DUI and weapons charges early Sunday morning. The incident occurred on April 14, 2024, when troopers responded to a welfare check for an unresponsive driver at a stop sign on Ramsey Road at the intersection of Thompsons Bridge Road.
Upon arrival, troopers found Etheridge, the sole occupant of a maroon Acura, displaying signs of impairment. During the arrest, troopers observed a handgun on the driver’s seat, which was visible in plain sight. Further investigations revealed that the loaded gun had been reported stolen by the Richland Township Police Department in 2006. Additionally, Etheridge, a convicted felon, is legally prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
Following his arrest, Etheridge was transported to Troop 1, where he completed Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. He was subsequently charged with several offenses, arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 11, and committed to Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on a $77,000 cash bond.