MILFORD, Del. - A Sunday evening crash into a home on Old Shawnee Road ended with a Lewes man’s sixth DUI arrest.
Milford Police were dispatched around 9:36 p.m. on May 25 for a car that crashed into the front of a house. Investigators say a Ford Focus, driven by 37-year-old Thomas Clendaniel, was speeding west on Old Shawnee Road when it rear-ended a GMC Sierra just west of Evergreen Lane. The impact pushed the Ford Focus off the road and into the front porch of the occupied house in the 5800 block.
After the crash, Clendaniel reportedly ran away behind homes along Old Shawnee Road. Milford officers, along with Delaware State Police Aviation and a K9 unit, searched the area but couldn’t find him that night.
Two people were hurt in the crash: a passenger in the Ford Focus and the driver of the GMC Sierra. Both were treated and released, police said.
Hours later, police received a call about a suspicious person on Sunset Lane, not far from the crash. When police responded, they found and identified Clendaniel as the man who fled earlier.
Hours later, police received a call about a suspicious person on Sunset Lane, not far from the crash. When police responded, they found and identified Clendaniel as the man who fled earlier. (Milford Police Department)
He was arrested and charged with:
6th offense driving under the influence of alcohol, a felony
Breach of conditions of bond, a felony
Vehicular assault in the second degree
Vehicular assault in the third degree
Multiple traffic violations
Clendaniel was presented at Justice of the Peace Court 7 and committed to the Department of Correction on $53,605 cash bail. He was also ordered to have no contact with the people hurt in the crash. A preliminary hearing will take place in Sussex County Court of Common Pleas at a later date.
