On the morning of Dec. 10, Amherst Police Department responded to a report of a suspicious incident at 35 East Pleasant St., where witnesses said a small propane tank had been placed outside of Spoke. Officers at the scene said the suspect’s identity is that of Tyron A. Loper.

According to a press release from Detective Lieutenant William Menard, Loper was located a short distance away and apprehended not long after their response. He was subsequently arraigned at the Eastern Hampshire District Court and held at the Hampshire County House of Correction until his next court date.

After the arrest, the defendant’s next court date was instead set to Dec.17, where he then appeared for a pretrial meeting via Zoom. On March 7, a motion was filed with the District Court to reopen Loper’s  hearing and release him with conditions. The hearing was set to March 9.

That day, the defense plead their case, and Loper was consequently released on bond under section 58A, subject to certain conditions. The conditions stated were for the defendant to live with his mother and be tracked by GPS.

Loper is also required to stay at least 100 yards away from both Spoke and Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant. Loper was also involved in an incident at Garcia’s, where he was arrested on counts of disorderly conduct and assaulting a police officer. He had then agreed to undergo a mental health evaluation and comply with the court as required.

He is still to be held under section 58A pending a motion from the defense to remove the GPS tracking and begin mental health treatment.

Siddharth Sharma can be reached at [email protected].