Middletown Burglary Probe Leads Detectives to Philadelphia Man

Michael Guess
Michael Guess /Submitted Image

MIDDLETOWN, DE — A 68-year-old Philadelphia man faces felony charges after New Castle County police linked him to an alleged residential burglary in Middletown, according to investigators.

Police reported that officers responded to the 300 block of South Thale Drive at approximately 2 a.m. July 26 following a reported burglary.

According to the New Castle County Division of Police, responding officers observed signs of forced entry at the residence. The occupants were not home during the alleged burglary and later reported that valuable property had been stolen, police stated.

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Detectives with the Criminal Investigation Unit assumed the investigation and identified a Mercedes GL450 believed to have been associated with the incident, according to police.

As the investigation progressed, detectives identified Michael Guess, 68, of Philadelphia, as a suspect in the alleged burglary, police reported.

On Aug. 24, detectives with the department’s Fugitive Apprehension and Surveillance Team and members of the U.S. Marshals Service First State Fugitive Task Force located Guess and took him into custody without incident, according to police.

Guess was charged with felony counts of second-degree burglary and theft of $1,500 or more, along with a misdemeanor count of criminal mischief.

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Police also reported that Guess was wanted on two outstanding fugitive warrants, one from Pennsylvania and another from New Jersey.

Guess was arraigned before Justice of the Peace Court 11. According to police, he was committed to the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution after failing to post $100,000 cash bail on the fugitive charges. Bail on the burglary-related charges was set at $13,000 unsecured.

All suspects, arrestees, and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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