Delaware Man Gets 20 Years for Stalking, Guns, and Child-Related Probation Violation

State of DE - A New Castle man is heading to prison for the next 20 years after a Superior Court judge handed down a lengthy sentence on June 3, 2026.

Donald Beckwith, 42, was convicted of Stalking and Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited. He was also found guilty of Violation of Probation stemming from a 2018 conviction for Sexual Solicitation of a Child.

The case began in April 2025 when Beckwith's probation officer caught him using an internet-capable device, a direct violation of his probation terms. That discovery led to an administrative search of his apartment.

What investigators found inside was alarming. A series of letters written by Beckwith while he was previously incarcerated contained graphic descriptions of his intent to commit sexual violence against minors, acts of violence against the State and Courts, and plans to stalk, kidnap, and murder someone connected to his prior criminal case.

The investigation, which included the New Castle County Police Department, also revealed that Beckwith had been spotted near that individual's home roughly 50 times over the course of a year. He was arrested in June 2025.

Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings credited the probation officer's work as a key factor in preventing something far worse.

"The probation officer's vigilance in this case almost certainly prevented a horrific and tragic act from occurring," Jennings said. "Their work, along with that of the New Castle County Police Department and our DOJ trial team, has helped keep a deeply dangerous individual off the streets - for that, they have my sincere gratitude."

The case was prosecuted by the Delaware Department of Justice.