A man suspected of being involved in a string of recent bank robberies in Rhode Island and Massachusetts – including a late April heist in Cranston – has been arrested.

On Thursday, East Providence Police announced that 36-year-old Joseph Hickson of Walpole, Massachusetts, was taken into custody by Massachusetts State Police at Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville.

East Providence Police had issued a warrant for Hickson’s arrest on a charge of first-degree robbery, on which he is currently being held as a fugitive from justice in Massachusetts. Additional warrants are said to be pending from police in Cranston and Franklin, Massachusetts.

According to East Providence Police, the bank robbery in their community occurred at the Washington Trust Bank on Newport Avenue on May 28. During their investigation, police learned of similar recent incidents in Cranston and Franklin and found the description of the suspect in the three cases was a match.

Hickson was subsequently identified as the suspect and a warrant was issued for his arrest. With assistance from Walpole Police detectives, East Providence Police are said to have executed search warrants at Hickson’s residence and for vehicle the vehicle he is alleged to have used in the robberies.

Police said the FBI and the Rhode Island attorney general’s office provided support in the investigation.

The Cranston robbery occurred on the afternoon of April 28 at the TD Bank location at 178 Phenix Ave. The suspect is said to have handed a teller a note claiming he was armed and asking for money. He then fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash. No one was injured in the incident.