'Bearded Bandit' held on $3M bail

SEEKONK, Mass. (WPRI) -- After about seven months, police believe they have caught the "Bearded Bandit", the culprit in multiple bank robberies.

Justin Worley, 33, appeared in front of a judge just before noon Wednesday on robbery charges in Massachusetts. He could soon be facing many more charges for holdups in Rhode Island.

A judge ordered Worley be held on $3 million bail. However, ten percent of that amount, or $300,000, could buy his freedom.

Seekonk police arrested Worley at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Motel 6 on Fall River Avenue in Seekonk. Several police departments and the FBI were involved.

Just before the arrest, police showed a housekeeper pictures of the "Bearded Bandit."

“They found some stuff in his room that kind of linked it to him,” said Kyle Amaral. “What I heard, was a fake beard. That’s why I couldn’t believe if it was him or not. Cause if it was so recent you can’t be growing a beard and then getting rid of it that quick. But, it ended up coming to be fake.”

"He's been here for about a few months," Amaral added. "I usually talk to his girlfriend because he leaves her here by herself, and she never knows what he was up to."

Police believe he had been residing at the motel.

The tip came from the East Providence police. One of their sergeants saw two cars in the Motel 6 parking lot that looked like the ones used in the bank robberies.

Worley is wanted in as many as nine robberies in Rhode Island and Massachusetts since February .

• Background: "Bearded Bandit" Still on the Loose

According to police, a pair of vehicles were spotted at the motel that matched the description of two vehicles linked to the bandit.

"He has a little kid, and he always walks around with her, and he doesn't seem like that type of guy that would've done this," said Amaral. "But you never judge a book by its cover."

East Providence police tell us they will hold a news conference Thursday afternoon to detail the Worley's arrest.