Boston, MA
Sentence next for ‘driving force’ behind Whitmer kidnap plot – The Boston Globe
Fox and Croft have been convicted at a second trial in August, months after a special jury in Grand Rapids, Michigan, could not attain a verdict however acquitted two different males.
Fox and Croft in 2020 met with like-minded provocateurs at a summit in Ohio, educated with weapons in Michigan and Wisconsin and took a experience to “put eyes” on Whitmer’s trip house with night-vision goggles, in response to proof.
“Individuals have to cease with the misplaced anger and place the anger the place it ought to go, and that’s in opposition to our tyrannical … authorities,” Fox declared that spring, boiling over COVID-19 restrictions and perceived threats to gun possession.
Whitmer wasn’t bodily harmed. The FBI, which was secretly embedded within the group, broke issues up by fall.
“That they had no actual plan for what to do with the governor if they really seized her. Paradoxically, this made them extra harmful, not much less,” Assistant U.S. Lawyer Nils Kessler mentioned in a courtroom submitting forward of the listening to.
Croft supplied bomb-making abilities and beliefs whereas Fox was the “driving pressure urging their recruits to take up arms, kidnap the governor and kill those that stood of their manner,” the prosecutor mentioned.
In 2020, Fox, 39, was residing within the basement of a Grand Rapids-area vacuum store, the positioning of clandestine conferences with members of a paramilitary group and an undercover FBI agent. His lawyer mentioned he was depressed, anxious and smoking marijuana each day.
Christopher Gibbons mentioned a life sentence could be excessive.
Fox was recurrently uncovered to “inflammatory rhetoric” by FBI informants, particularly Military veteran Dan Chappel, who “manipulated not solely Fox’s sense of ‘patriotism’ but additionally his want for friendship, acceptance and male approval,” Gibbons mentioned in a courtroom submitting.
He mentioned prosecutors had exaggerated Fox’s capabilities, saying he was poor and lacked the potential to acquire a bomb and perform the plan.
Croft, a trucker from Bear, Delaware, will probably be sentenced Wednesday.
Two males who pleaded responsible to conspiracy and testified in opposition to Fox and Croft obtained substantial breaks: Ty Garbin already is free after a 2 1/2-year jail time period, whereas Kaleb Franks was given a four-year sentence.
In state courtroom, three males not too long ago got prolonged sentences for helping Fox earlier in the summertime of 2020. 5 extra are awaiting trial in Antrim County, the place Whitmer’s trip house is positioned.
When the plot was extinguished, Whitmer, a Democrat, blamed then-President Donald Trump, saying he had given “consolation to those that unfold worry and hatred and division.” In August, 19 months after leaving workplace, Trump mentioned the kidnapping plan was a “faux deal.”
Boston, MA
Maine man dies during high-speed chase
A Maine man is dead after a high-speed pursuit involving a sheriff’s deputy ended in a head-on crash with a tractor trailer in Waterford earlier this week.
The Oxford County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday that Thomas Welch, 42, of Porter, had died Monday following an incident on Route 93 southbound, otherwise known as Sweden Road.
According to the sheriff’s office, Sgt. Timothy Ontengco was engaged in a high-speed pursuit of a Honda Goldwing motorcycle around 10 a.m. on Sept. 30 when the motorcycle crossed the center line in the vicinity of Haskell Hill Road and crashed head on into a tractor trailer unit traveling northbound.
Sgt. Ontengco, along with witnesses, performed CPR and attempted to provided first aid to the motorcycle driver of the motorcycle, but those measures were unsuccessful and the motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.
The man was later identified as Welch. Officials say his motorcycle, a 1986 Honda GL1200, was registered out of New Hampshire.
The tractor trailer, a blue 2025 Peterbilt, was registered to Dube Environmental Inc. out of Sidney, Maine, and was being being driven by 52-year-old Shawn Witham.
Witham, of Rome, Maine, was not injured in the crash, police say. The tractor trailer, which was hauling sewerage from Fryeburg Fair, was disabled as a result of the crash. There were no environmental concerns, however, as the trailer was intact.
Officials have not said why Sgt. Ontengco was pursuing Welch on the motorcycle.
The Maine Attorney General’s Office, the Oxford County District Attorney’s Office, and the Maine State Police were notified of the fatality, which is in compliance with all required reporting procedures and Sheriff’s Office standard operating policies.
Several agencies are involved with the ongoing investigation of this motor vehicle fatality, the sheriff’s office said.
Boston, MA
Pot bot? Boston-based company sells AI robot that grows cannabis at your home
When someone told cannabis educator Casey Sanginario that a Boston-based company was selling a domestic robot that grows cannabis using artificial intelligence, she waived it off as entirely non-credible.
“My first thought was, there’s no way,” Sanginario said with a laugh after describing herself as a cannabis snob. “I’m in groves all the time. I have a lot of grow experience. Some of my best friends are growers. It’s a really complicated process – PH levels, humidity levels, temperature, regulation – bugs. The plant attracts bugs!”
Annaboto was founded two years ago with an aspiration to hydroponically solve food insecurity – allowing people to easily grow plant-based food at home. The uptake on that idea was slow so they pivoted to cannabis. Interest isn’t slow anymore. They’ve sold hundreds of units – shipping them around the country where cannabis is legal.
“People who use cannabis for health and wellness want something that’s clean – pesticide-free – and consistent so you can dose it accordingly,” said Annaboto Founder and CEO Carl Palme. “When you grow at home you get all those benefits, but growing at home is so challenging.”
The Justice Department officially proposed reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug. News4’s Jackie Bensen explains how it would ease restrictions on cannabis on the federal level if approved.
The promise of Annaboto is simplicity. All that’s needed are seeds and water. The robot does everything else: how much light to deploy, how many nutrients to dose – even when to turn on a fan to regulate odor. Plus, the robot’s artificial intelligence technology sends back lessons learned so the next 90-day harvest is supposed to be better than the last.
“We have machines all over the US and in Mexico. We’re learning from people growing in Arizona, Massachusetts and California and all of that information is being relayed back to us. The more data we get, the better the AI performs,” Palme said.
Boston, MA
Boston College QB Thomas Castellanos reportedly cleared to play Week 6
Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos will return to the lineup this weekend after missing the Eagles’ Week 5 win over Western Kentucky.
The junior from Waycross, Georgia, missed last week’s 21-20 win with an undisclosed injury. According to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Friday, Castellanos is preparing to start Saturday’s game against Virginia on the road.
FIU transfer Grayson James drew the start in Castellanos’ place last week, but Boston College struggled to get a grip on its game against the Hilltoppers. BC went into the fourth quarter at home trailing WKU 20-7, but rallied for a win.
James had a 1-yard rushing score with 11:36 to play and then threw an 8-yard touchdown pass with 3:33 to play that served as the game-winner.
Castellanos returning to the fold offers the Eagles a boost. Thanks in part to his dual-threat ability, Boston College earned early-season wins over Florida State and Michigan State and nearly toppled Missouri on the road.
On the season, Castellanos is completing 64.3% of his passes for 729 yards with 10 touchdowns against 2 interceptions. He also has 112 rushing yards and a score in 4 games.
Boston College (4-1, 1-0 ACC) meets Virginia (3-1, 1-0) at noon ET on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network. Virginia is a 1-point favorite at ESPN Bet, but BC is looking to open league play 2-0 for the first time since 2007.
-
Technology2 days ago
Charter will offer Peacock for free with some cable subscriptions next year
-
World2 days ago
Ukrainian stronghold Vuhledar falls to Russian offensive after two years of bombardment
-
World2 days ago
WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange says he pleaded ‘guilty to journalism’ in order to be freed
-
Education1 week ago
Video: Los Angeles Bus Hijacked at Gunpoint
-
Technology1 day ago
Beware of fraudsters posing as government officials trying to steal your cash
-
Politics1 week ago
Secret Service agent accused of sexually assaulting Harris campaign staffer: report
-
Politics1 week ago
DOJ inspector general does not deny FBI informants were among Jan 6 crowd
-
World1 week ago
Putin outlines new rules for Russian use of vast nuclear arsenal