Newark Police were dispatched to a residence in the unit block of Benny Street in Newark at about 8:15 pm., Thursday, May 7, after receiving a report of a large gathering.

Arriving officers found a group of approximately 15-20 people, some of whom fled upon police arrival. Officers detained the 12 persons who remained at the scene and charged each with violating Newark’s ordinance prohibiting gatherings of more than 10 people during the state of emergency.

Each of the subjects, all of whom were males, was issued a summons and released at the scene for a court appearance at a later date.

Nine of the individuals charged are University of Delaware students and have been referred to the University’s Office of Student Conduct.

During the current state of emergency, Newark Police stress that gatherings are discouraged and must be maintained at less than 10 people in keeping with the governor’s state of emergency order and the city of Newark emergency ordinance.

The Newark Police Department’s resource page at newarkdepolicepress.com/covid-19 has additional information about the city’s response to the pandemic.

Official updates from the University about the current status of the COVID-19 virus and its impact on the community are available on a special webpage.