FTR – I have no problem with Dewey’s culture of drunkenness. It is a crucible that has produced civic leading lights such as Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. And…uh…Brett. Kavanaugh.
The culture of police intimidation, lying on official reports, selling equipment and pocketing the proceeds – that I have a problem with. The News Journal’s Maddy Lauria provides the deets.
Questionable conduct.
Suspicious sales of surplus military equipment.
Bent license plates.
These are just a few of the dramatic scenes that have been unfolding in the dark – and in the fluorescently lit meeting rooms – of Dewey Beach over the past few years.
A federal lawsuit filed against the town and three officials brought these strange occurrences to a head last month.
Dewey Beach, a resort town known for its party scene and propensity for frequent flooding, has been involved in controversies since at least 2016, when former town manager Marc Appelbaum was at the center of complaints of sexual harassment, racial discrimination and interference with police operations, among other allegations.
On the heels of that drama, which an investigator found insufficient evidence to support, came the news that the Dewey Beach Police Department was selling surplus military equipment, raising questions about oversight and financial accountability.
NO OVERSIGHT, NO CEILING: New report sheds light on Dewey police agency
But it was the latter issue at the center of discussions on a warm summer night in early August that led to criminal charges, accusations of high-powered officials lying in arrest documents and eventually, a lawsuit filed against them all in the U.S. District Court for Delaware.
HS picture of Kavanaugh taken on the rare occasion that he wasn’t drunk.