Mass. fugitive caught at Chesco mushroom farm

Responding to a tip, authorities raided a Kennett Square mushroom operation Thursday, apprehending a tattooed Massachusetts fugitive known as "Lil Stompper," state police said.

Richard Sam, 20, of Lowell, Mass., was taken into custody after a brief foot pursuit at the Phillips Mushroom complex on Old Kennett Road at 2:45 p.m., a state police news release said.

Police said Sam, wanted on attempted homicide charges for a Sept. 4, 2008, shootout in Massachusetts, was featured recently on the TV show "America's Most Wanted." The release said an anonymous caller who had seen the program said a man fitting Sam's description, which includes a "Crazy Brother" tattoo on his neck, was at the mushroom house.

The TV show's web site said Sam fled Massachusetts days after being charged in September 2008 with opening fire at a group of people in a Lowell parking lot, hitting a 19-year-old unarmed victim in the shoulder and chest. Sam, alleged to be a member of two violent gangs, has appeared on the TV show four times, most recently on Saturday.

The show's web site said Philadelphia police apprehended a man who identified himself as Jason Soram on Dec. 9, 2009 - more than a year after Sam had been on the lam; he was charged with carrying a firearm without a permit.

The fugitive was released shortly after his arrest and had vanished again by the time Philadelphia police learned his true identity several days later, according to published reports.

Sam was arraigned Thursday and remanded to Chester County Prison after failing to post $250,000 bail. State police were assisted by members of the Kennett Township police force and the Chester County Sheriff's Department, the release said.