Fugitive’s disguise all but had police fooled
Shaun ‘‘Shizz’’ Miller was desperate.
Police had surrounded his residence in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts, and were demanding that the alleged drug trafficker – a fugitive for months – come outside.
Miller did exactly that, but not before slipping on a wrinkled, liver-spotted mask that added about a half-century to the 30-yearold’s face. It was a criminal Hail Mary, to be sure, and it worked – for a time.
‘‘Upon further investigation, officers determined that the ‘elderly man’ was in fact Miller, and at that point, officers pulled off Miller’s realistic disguise and placed him under arrest,’’ US Attorney Carmen M Ortiz said.
Miller may have been caught, but his strategy seemed to impress the arresting officers.
‘‘It was Hollywood quality,’’ Barnstable police Lieutenant Mark Mellyn said, referring to the mask. ‘‘It was unbelievable.’’
Officers searching Miller’s home discovered two loaded weapons hidden in a laundry basket and nearly $30,000 ($NZ41,500) in cash.
In April, Miller was charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute. He had eluded police since that month, when drug raids that netted 19 people associated with the Hyannis, Massachusetts-based ‘‘Nautiblock’’ gang began.
Police had been watching the home of Miller’s mother for some time before finally surrounding it after confirming that a man spotted at the home was, in fact, Miller.