Smyrna man, under investigation for homicide, arrested on separate charges

A Smyrna man was arrested twice in the past month after multiple police departments say he assaulted his girlfriend at Kent General Hospital and later failed to appear in court for a hearing on the charges.

Mark R. Reedy, 51, is also under investigation by state police in connection with a homicide, Sgt. Richard Bratz said, though further details on that particular investigation, including when and where the homicide took place, were not released.

Dover police were called to Kent General Hospital, 640 S. State St., at about 2:30 a.m. Nov. 11 for a report of a physical domestic assault. Further investigation showed the attack actually occurred the day before at the hospital, when Reedy physically assaulted his 52-year-old girlfriend while she was visiting him, Bratz said.

Reedy was released from the hospital the following day and charged with strangulation and terroristic threatening. He was released on $3,000 unsecured bail pending a preliminary hearing this past Monday.

But four days prior to the hearing, Smyrna police received a Family Court Writ of Injunction in connection with the reported domestic abuse on Nov. 10, which required him to turn over weapons in his home, Bratz said. He didn't comply with the order and Smyrna police, with the help of state police homicide detectives, made several attempts to serve him the order at his home Thursday in the 400 block of Kates Way in Smyrna, Bratz said.

After several failed attempts, police watched a vehicle leave the man's address and stopped it, Bratz said. Police did not identify the driver. Inside, they found several weapons and took them into custody.

The following day, Friday, the state police Special Operations Response Team executed a search warrant at Reedy's home while again attempting to serve the court order, Bratz said.

Police found a dog inside and "less than lethal force" was used to try and calm the dog, Bratz said. He later clarified that officers initially used bean bag rounds, which are intended to hurt but not kill, but police were unsuccessful, he said.

"The animal became aggressive and lethal force was used as a necessary measure for the safety of the officers," Bratz said.

The search warrant was in connection with a pending homicide investigation, Bratz said, but due to the active nature of the investigation, further details won't be released immediately.

In the meantime, Reedy has been circulating a video of police entering his home on Facebook and shooting his dog.

The video shows officers, clad in heavy vests and helmets, entering his home, shouting that they are state police and have a search warrant. In the video, the dog goes to the door and begins barking, but runs out of the front foyer area of the home when police kick open the door. Officers continue inside shouting if anyone is home.

The dog leaves the camera's view and can be heard barking in the background, as officers verbally identify that there is a dog loose in the home. At one point, one officer attempts to tell officers to wait before acting. A shot is heard in the video, but the dog is never shown being shot.

Reedy turned himself in at state police barracks Troop 3 Monday after failing to appear for his preliminary hearing on the strangulation and terroristic threatening charges, Bratz said. He was released on $3,000 unsecured bail pending a preliminary hearing in Kent County Superior Court.

Attempts to contact Reedy were unsuccessful, and his public listed phone number has been disconnected.

Contact Brittany Horn at (302) 324-2771 or bhorn@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @brittanyhorn.