Heroin found
Delaware State Police, in conjunction with probation and parole officers, responded to a residence to serve a warrant in which several arrests were made.
The incident occurred on Thursday, Feb. 1, at about 6:30 p.m., as members of the Governor's Task Force responded to a residence in the 20000 block of Harmon Drive in Millsboro in an attempt to locate a wanted subject, 30-year-old Marissa Mess of Millsboro. Mess was wanted by the Newark Police Department for endangering the welfare of a child and violation of probation. GTF had obtained information that Mess was actively residing at this location, along with another subject that was on Level III probation.
Upon arrival, GTF members knocked on the side door to the residence several times and received no answer. Officers standing at the rear of the residence heard people moving around inside and a female's voice. After several minutes, Marissa Mess's mother, 54-year-old Cheryl Mess, of Millsboro, answered the door and indicated that she was the only one present in the residence.
Probation officers assigned to GTF were able to access the residence due to the Level III probationer reporting it as his address. Upon entering the residence, 37-year-old Lenear D. Kellam, of Millsboro, attempted to flee out of the rear door before running into a back bedroom and crashing through a closed window. Kellam then began to flee on foot and was given verbal commands to stop and get on the ground. He ignored these commands and continued to flee; subsequently, a detective deployed his taser and eventually took Kellam into custody.
Once taken into custody, Kellam was found to be in possession of six bags of heroin and about five grams of marijuana. He was transported by officers to Beebe Healthcare due to injuries he sustained by jumping through the window, where he was treated and released back into police custody.
While officers continued to search the interior of the residence, they located Marissa Mess hiding in a bedroom closet. When Marissa Mess was taken into custody, drug paraphernalia was located on the floor of the closet directly where she had been hiding.
Kellam was charged with criminal mischief, resisting arrest, third-degree conspiracy, possession of heroin, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana. He also had an active warrant out of Troop 5 for resisting arrest and three capiases for violation of probation, failure to appear in court and failure to pay fines. He was committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $29,000 cash-only bond.
Marissa Mess was charged with resisting arrest, third-degree conspiracy and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was committed to the Delores J. Baylor Women's Correctional Institution on $9,000 cash-only bond.
Cheryl Mess was charged with hindering prosecution. She was issued a criminal summons and released.