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RI prison escapee suspected in bank robbery attempt

Authorities say a massive search is underway after a man who escaped from a federal prison in Rhode Island allegedly attempted to rob a bank

Associated Press

BOSTON — Massachusetts authorities say a massive search is underway in the Cambridge area after a man who escaped from a federal prison in Rhode Island allegedly attempted to rob a bank.

James Morales escaped Saturday from the Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, Rhode Island.

A Massachusetts state police spokesman says a man police believe was Morales attempted to rob a Bank of America in Cambridge on Thursday. He said authorities have not made a definitive identification, but the suspect resembles Morales.

Morales is a former Army reservist who was being held at Wyatt on charges that he stole 16 guns from a U.S. Army Reserve Center in Worcester. He also was facing child rape charges in Massachusetts.

An FBI spokeswoman said the agency is working with Cambridge police.