Opinion ID: 4469561
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Small’s suspicious history on probation

Text: After serving time in Delaware state prison for a drug felony, Small was released on probation. As a probationer, he had to comply with court-ordered conditions, including a curfew. Yet within months of his release, he began missing curfew checks. In May 2016, when Dover Probation Officer Ricky Porter visited Small’s home, Small did not answer the door. In September 2016, Officer Porter, along with Dover Police Officers Joshua Boesenberg and Justin Richey, tried again. When they got to Small’s house, they saw another man 2 leave the house and get into a car. As Officer Porter approached the car, the man sped away. The officers pursued the man and arrested him after he crashed his car. After the chase, Officer Porter returned to Small’s house. He heard a male voice inside. But when he knocked, no one answered. He also saw a black Lincoln Town Car parked in the driveway and later learned that it belonged to Small. So the officers began surveilling Small’s house and investigating his behavior. As part of that investigation, they developed a relationship with a confidential informant. The informant, who later gave the police reliable information in other cases, said that Small was a major supplier of ecstasy around Dover. Speaking from personal knowledge, the informant explained that Small would bring ecstasy from New York City to Dover in his black Lincoln Town Car and then sell it from his home. The officers also spoke with others who corroborated Small’s ecstasy dealing. Over the next six months, the officers spoke to the confidential informant four or five times. They repeatedly tried to contact Small but could not.