DOVER-FOXCROFT – A statewide bulletin that included a warning to law enforcement officers to be especially careful for their safety was issued Tuesday morning by the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Department.

According to Sgt. Robert Young, Roberto Morales, 22, of Willimantic escaped five days ago when police attempted to arrest him on felony theft charges, and should be considered armed and dangerous.

Morales has been wanted by police for almost a year.

Young said deputies went to Morales’ home on Dec. 15, attempting to serve arrest warrants for aggravated criminal mischief and theft, both felonies, and failure to report as required by bail conditions.

When Morales was confronted, he leaped through a window at his home and fled into nearby woods. He has not been located, said Young, and has made threats in the past “that he would shoot it out with police” if another arrest attempt was made.

Young said the man was likely in possession of a shotgun and a handgun.

Young said that police had been looking for Morales since January after Morales and a partner allegedly stole 20,000 feet of copper communication wire from the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad.

An informant had tipped the sheriff’s office that two people were removing the wire from poles that extended along the railroad from Onawa to Brownville. The wire was valued at $10,000 and was the second such theft that B&A had reported.

Young said the railroad company had strung the copper wire along poles but it was not being used for signaling at the time of the theft.