LEWES, Del. - Lewes Police Department say a man has been arrested after an abandoned truck was found in Lewes the morning of Sept. 23 with multiple weapons and ammunition inside.
Officials say at about 12:30 a.m., officers were dispatched to the 400 block of E. Savannah Road for a man possibly suffering from mental health issues. They say officers contacted 30-year-old Alexander Gard from Maryland. Gard told officers his truck was stolen earlier while at the Wawa on Route 1 and he was looking for it. Officials say the officers then offered to take him to Delaware State Police Troop 7 to report the truck stolen, but he declined and said he contacted a friend to pick him up.
Lewes police say at about 6:30 a.m., officers were dispatched to Savannah Beach at the foot of Savannah Rd. for an abandoned truck stuck in the sand. Police found the truck empty and the license plates had been removed. Officials say they realized the truck belonged to Gard with a computer check. They say attempts to locate and contact Gard were unsuccessful then.
The truck was towed from the sand and searched. Police say they found three 9mm handguns, a tactical 12-gauge shotgun, an AR-15-style scoped rifle, multiple edged weapons, brass knuckles and several hundred rounds of ammunition.
Officials say due to Gard's unknown location and out of an abundance of caution, the Cape Henlopen School District placed area schools into a secure status. The district has schools located half a mile away from where the truck was.
Lewes police say they found Gard at an Airbnb outside the city through a social media investigation. Officers from the Lewes Police Department and Delaware State Police took Gard into custody at about 10:30 a.m. on Minos Conaway Rd. with no incident.
(Lewes Police Department)
Police say Gard reports he is currently homeless. Officials say he is a convicted felon in Virginia and on probation in Maryland. It is unclear if Gard drove his truck onto the beach in Lewes or if it was stolen and left there.
He was arrested and charged with the following:
- 5 counts of Possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony (a person prohibited), a class B felony.
- 6 counts of possession of a firearm or ammunition by a person prohibited due to prior violent felony crime, a class D felony.
He was committed to Sussex Correctional Institute in lieu of $65,000 secured bail. The Lewes Police Department says there is no evidence at this time that Gard had any larger intent or plan with the weapons. They say indications are that he is homeless and was illegally possessing and transporting weapons.