FRAMINGHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - A lockdown at a preschool was put in place Tuesday in Framingham as the manhunt continues for an inmate who escaped from a Rhode Island detention center last week.
James Morales, 35, escaped the detention center in Central Falls on New Year’s Eve. Morales, a former Army reservist, was charged with stealing 16 guns from a U.S. Army Reserve Center in Worcester in 2015 and is also facing child rape charges in Massachusetts.
Morales was last seen in Framingham, where police said he ditched a car that he stole in Attleborough. Police said the car, found on Gordon Street, had a license plate that had been stolen from an apartment complex on Route 9. A reverse-911 call was sent to residents in Framingham, reminding them to be vigilant. Police said they have received several calls of possible sightings of Morales.
“It’s unnerving, definitely. Very scary,” said resident Donna Acorn.
Juniper Hill Preschool also sheltered in place Tuesday. Administrators sent a letter to parents explaining this was done due to “external safety concerns in our immediate community.”
“I think it was appropriate, it’s a wooded area,” said parent Andrew Kessler. “Kids need to be safe, I want my son to be safe.”
An emergency meeting for the detention’s center board of directors will be held Thursday to discuss security matters after Morales was able to escape.
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