May 12, 2021
Mardis Powell Jr./DELAWARE STATE POLICE PHOTO
An Ellendale man faces charges after police say he argued with a teen near Long Neck May 10 before spraying her in the face with pepper spray.
Mardis Powell Jr., 21, called a 17-year-old girl about 10:40 p.m. and the two had met in the parking lot of the Carillon Woods Apartments off Hollyville Road when Powell became aggressive with her, said Master Cpl. Heather Pepper of the Delaware State Police.
The two argued before Powell took the teen’s cellphone, threw it on the ground, and then sprayed her in the face with pepper spray, Pepper said. The fight turned physical in the parking lot before the two were separated by another individual; the teen got into her 2011 Hyundai Sonata and began to drive away when Powell kicked the side of her car, Pepper said. Powell then followed her to her home, yelling at her in the driveway before throwing a radio at the rear window of the teen’s car. The window shattered, and