New Hampshire Escapee, Bank Robbery Suspect Arrested In Mass.

MANCHESTER, NH — A department of corrections transitional inmate placed on escape status earlier this month who was also suspected in at least three New Hampshire bank robberies was arrested in Massachusetts on Monday.

Michael Wells, 55, was arrested at the Hampton Inn in Waltham, MA, on Monday by police, according to Heather Hamel, the public information officer for the Manchester NH Police Department.

Wells, a felon and registered sex offender due to previous charges, was placed on escape status on Aug. 10 by the New Hampshire Department of Corrections after signing out of the Calumet Transitional Housing Unit in Manchester the day before and then failing to return, according to officials.

A few days later, a man matching his description robbed the Citizens Bank in Manchester. Four days after that, police named Wells as a suspect in the robbery, according to Hamel.

On Wednesday, the TD Bank in Nashua was robbed and then on Thursday, St. Mary’s Bank on Hooksett Road in Manchester was also robbed. In each robbery, the suspect handed a teller a note, claimed to have a gun, and then walked off with cash.

“No weapon was ever shown,” Hamel said.

Wells became a suspect in the two other bank robberies after surveillance photos showed the same person involved in all the robberies.

Hamel said Wells has a parole violation in Massachusetts, too. He will be held until that issue is resolved and then, will be brought back to New Hampshire.

Wells was due to be paroled on the robbery charge in June 2022.

Editor's note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Manchester Police Department and does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the removal request process for New Hampshire Patch police reports.

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