TOWNSEND, Del. — Delaware State Police have arrested a 31-year-old Smyrna man in connection with a burglary at a Townsend business earlier this month. Steven Mauthe Jr. was taken into custody on October 17 following an investigation into the break-in at WDI Wright Designs on Dupont Parkway.
According to police, the burglary occurred on October 9 at approximately 8:30 a.m. when an unidentified suspect arrived at the business in a side-by-side utility task vehicle (UTV) while wearing a face mask. The suspect unsuccessfully attempted to break into a storage container, a truck, and a trailer on the property before cutting a cable lock to access a shed. The suspect then stole scrap copper from inside the shed and damaged a chain-link fence while fleeing the scene in the UTV.
Detectives used investigative methods to identify Mauthe as the suspect and obtained a warrant for his arrest. He was apprehended near his home by Smyrna Police Department detectives without incident.
Mauthe was transported to the Smyrna Police Department, where he was charged with multiple crimes related to the burglary. After his arraignment by Justice of the Peace Court 2, he was committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on a $9,000 secured bond.