BLADES, DELAWARE (1/20/2015) A 26-year-old man was arrested Monday after he broke into a house southeast of Blades, assaulted a 60-year-old woman and fired a gun, state police said.
The incident began about 12:15 p.m. in the 26000 block of Bethel Concord Road.
Police said Jesse Dudley, of Seaford, entered the home uninvited and unannounced, grabbed a handgun from a stand in the living room and pointed it at the homeowner, demanding money.
She was familiar with Dudley through a relative and he had been in her home on a previous occasion, police said.
Dudley ordered the woman to lie down, but she refused and he grabbed her out of a chair and forced her to the floor, police said.
He allegedly threw a cordless phone into another room so she couldn’t call for help.
Dudley then removed a second firearm from the living room and made his way to the woman’s bedroom where, police said, he began ransacking her items.
The homeowner was injured in her arm when she confronted Dudley in the bedroom and he threw her to the floor, police said.
He then allegedly pointed the gun at her and threatened to kill her, then fired one round into her bed.
Police said he then fled with a .22 caliber revolver, .40 caliber handgun, .22 caliber rifle, prescription medicine, cash and a video game system.
Troopers, a state police helicopter and officers from Blades searched the area and located Dudley near the Cool Branch development about 3:50 p.m., where he was taken into custody without incident.
He was charged with robbery, home invasion, terroristic threatening, aggravated menacing, reckless endangering, theft, possession of a weapon by a person prohibited and related counts.
Dudley was being held at Sussex Correctional Institution in lieu of $151,000 cash bond.
The homeowner was treated for her injury at the scene by emergency medical services.