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Mar 28, 2008 9:57 pm US/Eastern
Dangerous Child Rape Suspect Spotted At YMCA
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WBZ) ―
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Anthony Flye, 38, of Nantucket and Swansea, escaped from the hospital where he was being treated for an injury.
WBZ
New Bedford police are following up on tips and potential sightings of a dangerous fugitive who escaped a hospital earlier this week.
Anthony Flye, 38, is a dangerous child rape suspect who escaped from St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford Tuesday.
While a potential sighting in Beverly Friday turned out to be a case of mistaken identity, Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson said police are following a strong lead at the town's YMCA.
Hodgson said Flye may have walked into the New Bedford YMCA on South Water Street two days ago.
"He approached the two front desk staff we had working here and stated that he had broken down in his vehicle and asked if he could use the phone," said YMCA executive director Michelle Roderick.
What Flye probably didn't know when he entered the YMCA was that the staff had a picture of him posted behind the counter.
"He also probably didn't realize when he was using this phone, there's a surveillance camera right there," Hodgson said.
Flye escaped from St. Luke's Tuesday where he was being treated for an injury he sustained after jumping from the top of a stairwell at New Bedford Superior Court.
Police said he was taken out of handcuffs and allowed to use the restroom unattended, which is how he escaped.
After fleeing the hospital, Flye, wearing only a green hospital gown, jeans and slippers, tried to board a bus outside but was refused by the driver because he had no money. He then fled the area on foot.
According to police, Flye was in court to be arraigned on an indecent exposure charge.
Flye also faces a child rape charge and a charge of indecent assault and battery of a disabled person. The charges stem from a series of alleged incidents in Swansea, Nantucket and Rhode Island between 2004 and 2006.
The state's Trial Court Security Department is investigating why Flye was in the custody of just a single court officer at the hospital. According to a written statement, protocol requires that two court officers accompany any prisoner who is removed from a court to a hospital.
The fugitive was being held on $500,000 cash bail prior to Tuesday's escape. He lives in Nantucket during the week and Swansea on the weekends.
Police say he has used several aliases in the past and has connections in Wareham, Martha's Vineyard, Rhode Island and Maine.
Hodgson said the sighting at the YMCA really was Flye. Police are hoping another hot tip will lead to an arrest.
A $5,000 reward is being offered in the case.
"It's generally that the people are trying to associate with him and support him and help him," Hodson said. "If in fact he has anybody trying to help him get away, they need to realize they're going to face some very serious consequences for doing that."
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Flye is asked to call their local police department.
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