Nebraska Man Sentenced for Plot to Kill Federal Fish and Wildlife Officer
Eugene L. 09.30.22
Acting US Attorney Steven Russell announced that Cody A. Cape, 24, of Blair, Nebraska, was sentenced by US District Judge Brian C. Buescher to a sentence of 117 months of incarceration. This is for threatening to Murder a Federal Law Enforcement Officer and Carrying and Using a Firearm During a Crime of Violence. In the federal system is no parole. After he has served his incarceration period, Cape will have to serve a 3-year term of Supervised Release.
Back in October 2020, Mr. Cape was cited by a USFWS Officer for a fishing violation. He and his friend were subjects of an ongoing poaching investigation by this Officer. As the investigation went on, Mr. Cape’s phone was seized with a search warrant.
Later, on December 25th, 2020, Cape had his friend pick him up and drive him to a specific location. This was the investigating Officer’s personal residence in Blair. Mr. Cape then had his friend drive him to an apartment in Omaha where he picked up a .45 caliber handgun and a rifle. Then Mr. Cape told his friend to drive to the Desoto National Wildlife Refuge to go check the employee housing to see if the Officer was there. Cape’s friend refused at this point, and in response, Mr. Cape placed his handgun in his lap and told his friend to take him to the Wildlife Refuge. His friend then complied in fear.
On their return from the Wildlife Refuge, Mr. Cape discussed ways he planned to kill the Officer, including using explosives such as C4 or TNT. He talked of wiring a car bomb in the Officer’s USFWS vehicle or throwing a bomb through the officer’s window to kill him and his family. His friend later contacted the police and reported what happened.
Mr. Cape was then located by the Blair Police Department on December 25, 2020, and had a .45 caliber handgun in his vehicle. Cape then was interviewed by FBI and USFWS officers and admitted to making threats about killing the Officer. He did claim that he was not serious about these threats, and only had said such things due to stress on him from the Officer’s poaching investigation. When asked if had made threats to the officer.
Cape stated “probably” and then went on to state, “I don’t know where the f### I’d get that s###.” When asked for clarification, Cape stated “C4.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Blair Police Department.
