Burglar Sentenced To 8 Years

SNOW HILL -- A Millsboro man, shot by police in February after attempting to run over a Worcester County Sheriff’s deputy during a botched burglary attempt in Berlin, was found guilty yesterday in Circuit Court of second-degree assault and fourth-degree burglary and was sentenced to a combined eight years in jail.

Around 10 p.m. on Feb. 15, Worcester County Sheriff’s Deputy Katie Edgar responded to a 911 call reporting a possible burglary attempt at Venable’s Electric on Route 575. The witness reported a vehicle had pulled to the rear of the business and a suspect appeared to be attempting to enter the building. Edgar arrived at the location and got out of her vehicle with her K-9. Almost immediately, a Ford F-150 pickup truck drove from the rear of the building. Edgar, who had her .45 caliber department-issued pistol drawn, attempted to stop the truck.


According to police reports, the truck being driven by Collins stopped several feet in front of the deputy, who gave repeated verbal commands for Collins to surrender. However, Collins, alone in the truck, ignored the commands and accelerated, driving directly toward Edgar. Fearing for her life, the deputy fired her pistol at the driver.


The deputy was able to avoid being struck by the truck, which drove out of the parking lot and turned left on Route 575. Edgar pursued the truck in her patrol car as the chase continued onto Carey Rd. and ultimately northbound on Route 113. Once on Route 113, the truck stopped and Collins surrendered to the deputy and two other Worcester County deputies who had joined the pursuit.


It was then the deputies learned Collins had suffered gunshot wounds and immediately began providing emergency care to the suspect. Collins was ultimately flown to Shock Trauma in Baltimore.

Collins was later charged with first- and second-degree assault, burglary and theft. The burglary and theft charges were added when investigators discovered several air conditioning units in the bed of the truck believed to have been stolen from Venable’s Electric. One of the air conditioning units fell off the truck during the pursuit. Investigators learned there had been air conditioning units outside the rear of Venable’s Electric, but it does not appear Collins was able to gain entry to the business.