Meeting on 'Bandit' nets quick arrest

SEEKONK, Mass. (WPRI) -- The arrest report on the "Bearded Bandit" reveals police didn't have to look far before they found vehicles that led them to their suspect -- who, they say, confessed to all nine holdups in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Wednesday morning, Seekonk police had been at a meeting at the East Providence Police Department to discuss the Bearded Bandit's robberies, nine in all, over the course of seven months and hitting these towns: Seekonk, East Providence, Barrington, Pawtucket, North Providence, Cranston, and Warwick. Investigating officers from those towns were all at this meeting, Seekonk Det. Nick Peterson said in his report.

The Warwick detectives showed pictures of a red or maroon Dodge conversion van with silver running boards seen fleeing the robbery that had taken place in their city. There was distinct damage to the right rear wheel-well trim, and a missing hubcap on the right front wheel.

In Tuesday's robbery in East Providence, a green Jeep Grand Cherokee with a tinted back window was spotted fleeing.

Quick results

One-and-a-half miles and four minutes away from the East Providence Police station on Waterman Avenue, an East Providence detective spotted both a red conversion van and a green Jeep Cherokee at the Motel 6 in Seekonk. A man, woman and small child were at the back of the van. The man's height, weight, facial bone structure and even tattoos checked out as matching the Bearded Bandit's description, and the East Providence detective called Seekonk police to alert them.

Seekonk and East Providence detectives gathered at the motel to look at the vehicles, and talked to motel employees. They identified the van and Jeep as belonging to the man later identified as Justin Lee Worley.

When police came across Worley, the woman and the girl in a hallway, at first Worley did an about-face and walked away from the officers. They asked him if they could talk to him, and he agreed.

During the discussion, Worley started reaching behind him -- and seeing as Worley had a military background, and that the Bandit had threatened tellers with guns in several of the robberies -- the detectives asked him if he had any weapons on him.

He revealed a knife, and subsequently, "a blackened and charred glass crack pipe," and crack cocaine. He also revealed oxycodone, but he had a prescription for that in his hotel room, officers later found.

Confession times nine

Police said in the arrest report Worley admitted it was crack. Officers ended up handcuffing him and taking him into custody without incident.

Later at the Seekonk police station, in an interview room, after being read his rights and presented with mounting evidence that pointed to his involvement, Worley confessed to the robberies. All nine of them, police said. In detail, from clothing and disguises used as well as the getaway vehicles used.

The interview "took place in conversational tones and was largely governed in its contours by Worley," Det.  Peterson said in his report.

In Seekonk, Worley was charged with being a fugitive from justice without a warrant, "upon reasonable information that [he] is charged in another state" -- Rhode Island -- as well as possession of a class B substance (crack cocaine), and armed robbery.