Delaware State Police announced Monday that they have arrested three people from Smyrna who are suspects in the December 2008 robbery of a pizza deliveryman on Van Dyke-Greenspring Road near Smyrna. The arrests were made after a separate burglary investigation near Cheswold linked the suspects to the first robbery.
On January 15, Delaware State Police investigated a burglary that occurred at a residence in the 300 block of Norway Drive just south of Cheswold. A TV, an X-Box video game system, and various X-Box games were taken.
Of particular interest to the investigators was that the crime appeared to have been staged. All exterior doors had deadbolt locks and were secured. A window in the home was broken with a hammer. However, investigators noted that the glass was broken from inside the home because of the broken glass lying on the ground outside under the window. The hole in the broken window hole was too small to allow a person to enter through it. The victim then informed police the hammer that was left at the crime scene near the broken window came from inside his home.
The victim stated only he and his former roommate, Mark A. Fedorkowiez, 19, of Smyrna, knew the hammer was kept in a specific drawer in the house. Police learned Fedorkowiez also had a key to the home. Detectives learned from another source that Fedorkowiez lives with Sean M. Gardner, 20, of Smyrna and that the two recently spoke to people stating they committed the crime.
As detectives continued this investigation, they also received information that Fedorkowiez, Gardner, and Erica A. Jardine, 20, of Smyrna, had been heard bragging about a December 2, 2008 robbery where a pizza delivery man was robbed at gunpoint on Van Dyke-Greenspring Road northwest of Smyrna.
The robbery of the pizza delivery man occurred at 9:34 p.m at a home in the 900 block of Van Dyke-Greenspring Road near Dexter's Corner. The victim, a 26-year-old Smyrna man, was confronted by a man with a shotgun. The suspect ordered the victim to the ground, and robbed him of his money. Then the suspect fired one round in the area of the victim before fleeing in a waiting vehicle. The victim was not injured. The description of the suspect matched that of Fedorkowiez.
Through interviews, detectives were able to gather information that supported the suspects' involvement in the robbery. As a result of the investigation, the following arrests were made:
Mark A. Fedorkowiez and Sean M. Gardner were charged with first-degree robbery, possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, first-degree reckless endangering, two counts of second-degree conspiracy, second-degree burglary, theft, and criminal mischief. Both were remanded to the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in lieu of a $42,100 secured bond to await another court appearance.
Erica A. Jardine was charged with first-degree robbery, possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, first-degree reckless endangering, and second-degree conspiracy. She was remanded to the Delores J. Baylor Women’s Correctional Institute in lieu of a $46,000 secured bail to await another court appearance.
