Former Army reservist James W. Morales pleaded guilty Monday to stealing firearms, escaping prison and trying to rob two banks.
Morales started his crime spree back in late 2015, when he stole weapons from the Lincoln Stoddard United States Army Reserve Center in Worcester, Mass., subsequently escaped prison and then tried to rob two banks, The Boston Globe reports.
He stole six M-4 carbines and 10 M-11 handguns from the Army Reserve Center in total after obtaining access to the building through a kitchen window, but authorities quickly arrested him four days later in New York. He then managed to escape on Dec. 31, 2016, from the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island by “climbing a basketball hoop, jumping onto a roof, and going through a barbed wire fence.”
Police arrested him again after he tried to rob two banks. At one of the banks, Morales demanded the teller hand over cash. The teller refused, and Morales stated in response: “Okay, have yourself a nice day.”
Morales’ sentencing hearing is set for Feb. 8. Morales could serve up to 15 years in prison based on the charges filed against him and the plea agreement reached between prosecutor and defense, but Judge Timothy S. Hillman still has to agree. It’s still possible that Hillman could sentence Morales to 90 years in prison, which is the maximum sentence for all the charges involved in the case.
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