A suspect wanted for murder in Columbus, Ohio, was captured this morning in Fall River in a joint operation by Massachusetts State Police, the United States Marshals Service, and Fall River Police.

TROY DUNCAN CAPERS 2d, 37, was taken into custody at an apartment at 19 Cook St.

The arrest came after US Marshals in Ohio developed information that CAPERS had fled to Massachusetts. Troopers assigned to the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section (MSP VFAS) and US Marshals in Boston (USMS) developed leads on three potential addresses in Fall River where CAPERS might be staying. MSP VFAS, USMS, Troopers assigned to the MSP Special Tactical Operations Team, Fall River Police, and Parole Officers set up surveillance on the three addresses.

Shortly after 6:20 a.m. today one of the apprehension teams located CAPERS at the Cook Street apartment and made the arrest.

CAPERS is wanted for homicide in Ohio for the fatal shooting of another man in Columbus on Jan. 4. The shooting occurred after CAPERS and the victim had a fistfight at a bar. After the fight CAPERS allegedly left the establishment, returned with a gun, and shot the victim.

CAPERS was expected to be arraigned in Bristol County today as a fugitive from justice. Prosecutors will work work Ohio authorities to arrange the suspect’s rendition to answer to the homicide charge in that state.

New Bedford police detectives seized a cumulative 562.3 grams of fentanyl and 803 grams of cocaine—with a street value of more than $250,000— along with $96,576 during a six week stretch in late April and May.

“Trafficking cases are significant,” explained head of the Narcotics Unit Lt. Justin Kagan. “It indicates that a major drug dealer has been caught with a notable quantity of illegal drugs.”

On June 2, Detectives seized 58 grams of cocaine and $13,968. During 16 cases in May, Detectives seized 744.7 grams of cocaine, 511.6 grams of fentanyl, 22 grams of oxycodone pills, and confiscated $34,222. Trafficking cases between April 21 and April 30 resulted in 50.7 grams of fentanyl seized and $48,386. confiscated.

“I am truly impressed by the hard work by all of our narcotics detectives,” said Lt. Kagan. “These cases are the result of their relentless efforts to investigate drug dealers in New Bedford. The impact of their work will be felt in the community.”

Chief Joseph Cordeiro agrees. “Our officers are out there daily facing two ongoing public crisis events but remain focused on community policing and their priorities to keep the city safe, prevent and combat crime,” said Cordeiro. “They constantly demonstrate remarkable resilience and dedication during a very challenging time in policing. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

If you have any information on criminal activity in your community, the New Bedford Police Dept. wants to hear from you. You can leave an anonymous tip on our voicemail at (508) 991-6300 Ext. 1.

When a Massachusetts State Trooper yesterday captured a suspect who fled from a stolen car in Plymouth, the suspect refused to give his name, resisted arrest, spit on the Trooper, and said he was COVID-19 positive.

The suspect continued to spit in the cruiser during transport to the State Police-Norwell Barracks and defecated in the cruiser and the barracks’ booking area.

According to Dave Procopio of the Massachusetts State Police, Troopers at the Barracks donned full-body personal protective equipment to gain control of the hostile suspect in the holding cell and fingerprint him. An MSP Crime Scene Services Trooper eventually was able to identify the suspect by fingerprints as Hamza Conner, 29, of Boston. Conner was charged with motor vehicle offenses, making threats, witness intimidation, refusing to identify himself, vandalism, and resisting arrest.

After booking, Conner was transferred to the Norfolk County jail in Dedham to be held pending arraignment. After determining the suspect’s true identity and address Troopers checked his name against a public health database in the city of Boston, where he lives, and determined he had never been tested for COVID-19. Upon transfer to the jail the suspect was determined to be showing no coronavirus symptoms and went through intake protocols. He has not yet been tested for COVID-19.

The sequence of events began shortly after 10 a.m. Tuesday when Braintree Police advised area departments that they were looking for a white Ford Explorer stolen from a pet supply store parking lot. A pet dog belonging to the owner, a Quincy man, was in the car when the vehicle was stolen.

At approximately 10:50 a.m. yesterday a Trooper working a detail on Route 3 southbound in Kingston was almost struck by the stolen vehicle as it travelled past him at a high rate of speed. Another Trooper ahead of the fleeing suspect deployed a tire deflation device across Route 3; the spike strips impacted two of the Explorer’s tires but the vehicle kept traveling southbound on Route 3.

Troopers initiated a pursuit. The Explorer was involved in a crash on the ramp from Route 3 southbound to Route 44 westbound, and the occupant fled on foot toward Commerce Way in Plymouth. Troopers began searching for the suspect.

At approximately 11:15 a.m. a Trooper located the suspect on foot on Industrial Park Way in Plymouth. The suspect immediately become unruly and resistant, said he was COVID positive, and refused to identify himself. The suspect then spit at the Trooper as he was taken into custody and continued to spit inside the cruiser during transport. He also defecated in the back of the cruiser and in the barracks.

A hazardous waste cleanup company was contacted to clean the cruiser and the barracks. Three Troopers involved in taking the suspect into custody and then controlling him at the barracks were put on a brief leave and will be monitored for symptoms. The Department will be attempting to have Conner tested for COVID-19.

The dog that was in the vehicle when it was stolen was located yesterday in Somerville and has been reunited with his family. At this time we believe the suspect drove to the Boston area after stealing the vehicle and left the dog there. We are also investigating whether the vehicle was involved in a crash in or around Boston during that time.

Suspect Conner was expected to be remotely arraigned today in Plymouth District Court.

“Around 1:00 p.m. today, on Route 2 in Fitchburg, a tire believed to have come from this truck/trailer, crossed from the eastbound side to the westbound side and struck the pictured Jeep, causing serious injuries to the driver of the Jeep.

The truck was last seen traveling westbound on Route 2 in Leominster, possibly taking I-190 southbound.

The trailer being pulled by the truck is believed to have a Maine registration plate attached.

Anyone with information or observes this truck, please call the State Police Leominster Barracks at (978) 537-2188.

Please share.”-Massachusetts State Police.

The former Chair of Harvard University’s Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department was indicted Tuesday on charges of making false statements to federal authorities regarding his participation in China’s Thousand Talents Program.

Dr. Charles Lieber, 61, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of making false statements and will be arraigned in federal court in Boston at a later date. Lieber was arrested on Jan. 28, 2020, and charged by criminal complaint.

According to charging documents, since 2008, Dr. Lieber has served as the Principal Investigator of the Lieber Research Group at Harvard University, specializing in the area of nanoscience. Lieber’s research at the Lieber Research Group has been funded by more than $15 million in research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Department of Defense (DOD). Among other things, these grants required the disclosure of all sources of research support, potential financial conflicts of interest and all foreign collaboration.

It is alleged that, unbeknownst to Harvard University, beginning in 2011, Lieber became a “Strategic Scientist” at Wuhan University of Technology (WUT) in China. He later became contractual participant in China’s Thousand Talents Plan from at least 2012 through 2015. China’s Thousand Talents Plan is one of the most prominent Chinese talent recruitment plans designed to attract, recruit, and cultivate high-level scientific talent in furtherance of China’s scientific development, economic prosperity and national security. According to court documents, these talent recruitment plans seek to lure Chinese overseas talent and foreign experts to bring their knowledge and experience to China, and they often reward individuals for stealing proprietary information. Under the terms of Lieber’s three-year Thousand Talents contract, WUT allegedly paid Lieber a salary of up to $50,000 USD per month, living expenses of up to 1 million Chinese Yuan (approximately $158,000 USD at the time) and awarded him more than $1.5 million to establish a research lab at WUT. In return, Lieber was obligated to work for WUT “not less than nine months a year” by “declaring international cooperation projects, cultivating young teachers and Ph.D. students, organizing international conference[s], applying for patents and publishing articles in the name of [WUT].”

It is alleged that in 2018 and 2019, Lieber lied to federal authorities about his involvement in the Thousand Talents Plan and his affiliation with WUT. On or about April 24, 2018, during an interview with federal investigators, it is alleged that Lieber falsely stated that he was never asked to participate in the Thousand Talents Program, but that he “wasn’t sure” how China categorized him. In November 2018, NIH inquired of Harvard about whether Lieber had failed to disclose his then-suspected relationship with WUT and China’s Thousand Talents Plan. Lieber allegedly caused Harvard to falsely tell NIH that Lieber “had no formal association with WUT” after 2012, that “WUT continued to falsely exaggerate” his involvement with WUT in subsequent years, and that Lieber “is not and has never been a participant in” China’s Thousand Talents Plan.

The charge of making false statements provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers; U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Leigh-Alistair Barzey, Special Agent in Charge of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Northeast Field Office; and Philip Coyne, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General made this announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason Casey and Benjamin Tolkoff of Lelling’s National Security Unit are prosecuting this case with the assistance of Trial Attorney David Aaron of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The FBI Boston Division, the Boston Police Department, and the Boston Fire Department—Fire Investigation Unit are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying two men who were seen around the intersection of Tremont Street and Bromfield Street in Boston, Massachusetts on Sunday, May 31, 2020 between 9:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.

Investigators would like to speak with them because they may have information relevant to the ongoing investigation into the vandalism and arson of a Boston Police Department cruiser.

On the night of Sunday, May 31, 2020, at approximately 9:25 p.m., two Boston police officers responded to a call for assistance and parked their vehicle in the area of the Beantown Pub near Suffolk University. Shortly thereafter, several individuals vandalized the cruiser, breaking its windows, and eventually setting it on fire.

A seeking information poster which includes newly released surveillance footage and enhanced photographs of two individuals sought for questioning in connection with this incident can be found here. As seen in the video, unknown individual #1 appears to be a white or Hispanic male, approximately 18-20 years of age, and between 5’8” to 6’ tall with a medium build. He wore a white hoodie, red bandana, and grey shorts. Unknown individual #2 is believed to be a Hispanic male, 18-20 years of age, approximately 5’8” to 6’ tall with a medium build. He wore a black t-shirt, black shorts, and a black hat.

Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI at 857-386-2000. Tips can also be electronically submitted at tips.fbi.gov.

The Boston Police Department is actively reviewing the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident and is asking anyone with information relative to this investigation to contact the Boston Fire Department Fire Investigation Unit at (617) 343-3324.

Community members wishing to assist this investigation anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463). The Boston Police Department will stringently guard and protect the identities of all those who wish to assist this investigation in an anonymous manner.

https://youtu.be/fSmyQHzDUpE