CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) — The ACI inmate who walked off of a work detail earlier this month has a history of escape and violating probation, 12 News has learned. Joshua Torres, 26, abandoned his job assignment at the Central Distribution Center warehouse on Oct. 10 and still has not been located, according R.I. Department of Corrections spokesperson J.R. Ventura. Torres was serving time for carrying a firearm without a permit and as a person in possession of a weapon that had committed a crime of violence. In May 2016, Torres and two others — a man and a woman — broke into a Glocester home and stole thousands of dollars worth of jewelry and other valuables at gunpoint, according to an affidavit obtained by 12 News. Joshua Torres (Courtesy: Rhode Island Department of Corrections) The affidavit states that Torres, who was 18 years old at the time, and the other two suspects initially broke into the Cooper Road home in search of psychedelic mushrooms. But the trio didn't find any mushrooms, according to the affidavit, and instead decided to ransack the house after waking up and duct taping the five residents, including a child. The affidavit notes that Torres and the other suspects stole more than $12,000 worth of valuables in total, including three iPhones, a $4,000 diamond ring, a $3,000 gold ring and a $1,000 designer watch. The trio woke the homeowner up by pistol-whipping him and dragging him out of bed, according to the affidavit. The homeowner and his girlfriend were then tied up with duct tape and brought downstairs, where both were ordered to lay face down on the ground at gunpoint. The three other residents — the homeowner's mother, as well as her roommate and a child — were also duct taped and brought downstairs. The affidavit states that after the suspects searched the home, Torres sped off in a car he stole from the driveway while the other suspects hopped into their getaway car. The trio was eventually tracked down by investigators after reviewing surveillance footage, speaking with witnesses and analyzing cell phone records. Torres told detectives that the home invasion was the woman's idea because she knew the layout of the home. He also claimed the woman told them that, if the mushrooms weren't there "they could get jewelry and televisions," the affidavit states. His fingerprints were also found on a water jug that he told officers he'd stolen from the residence that night. Torres was convicted of burglary, first-degree robbery and conspiracy in March 2017 and sentenced to 25 years with nine to serve. 12 News Law Enforcement analyst Steven O'Donnell, who was the head of the R.I. State Police when Torres was first arrested, said this was a serious case. “Guns to the head of family members with children in the house … it doesn’t get worse than that, except murder," O'Donnell said. 12 News has also learned that this wasn't Torres' first brush with the law. Torres was just months away from his 18th birthday when he was charged with escaping from custody in 2015, according to an arrest report obtained through a public records request. Then 17, Torres left a Warren group home without permission on Christmas Day, the report stated. An additional public records request revealed Torres was originally sent to the ACI for his role in the home invasion, but was later placed on home confinement. Nearly five years after the home invasion, Torres was nabbed again by police. Officers spotted Torres and three other men parked at the site of a 2019 homicide back in February 2021, according to a police report. The report noted that officers saw the handle of a firearm "in plain view" protruding from underneath the driver's side rear passenger's leg. The passenger was later identified as Torres, who the officers also noticed was wearing a home confinement bracelet related to his 2016 conviction. Torres was then taken into custody as a probation violator. "The system, I think, failed in this particular case," O'Donnell said. Ventura said after Torres went through the ACI's Intake Service Center, he was placed into medium security. He explained that Torres was placed into minimum security at some point, but did not elaborate on when, or why, he was moved. "The matter is still under investigation so we are very limited in what we can share," he said. O'Donnell said a special classification board determined whether an inmate can move between different levels of security based on their behavior, among other factors. Those factors include the severity of a crime, history of escape and behavior. "If the classification board knew that and made that decision, I'd say they dropped the ball," O'Donnell said. "If they didn't know that, you probably need to revamp the classification system.” The Cranston Police Department, which initially assisted when Torres was declared unaccounted for, referred questions regarding the incident to the R.I. Department of Corrections and State Police. Ventura did not have any further information about Torres' whereabouts. 12 News reached out to R.I. State Police but did not immediately hear back. Alexandra Leslie ([email protected]) is a Target 12 investigative reporter covering Providence and more for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook. Anita Baffoni contributed to this report. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup SIGN UP NOW