The U.S. soldier suspected in a massacre of 16 Afghan civilians is married, the father of two young children and a veteran who was in the midst of his fourth tour in a war zone.

Sgt. Robert Bales
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Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales is back in the U.S. and is being held at a U.S. military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. He once underwent anger management counseling. Neighbors described him as good-natured and warm.

Army officials said in a statement released early to The Associated Press that Bales arrived Friday night and was placed in his own cell at the prison adjacent to the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks.

Bales arrived in Afghanistan in December. He was assigned Feb. 1 to work with a force that pairs troops with villagers to help provide neighborhood security.

He's accused of going on a shooting rampage near his southern Afghanistan base early Sunday, killing nine children and seven other civilians, then burning some bodies.

Police: Kin of Afghan slay suspect may live in OH

 

Robert Bales
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Police in a Cincinnati suburb say it may be home to a person related to a U.S. soldier accused of gunning down 16 Afghan civilians.

Authorities on Friday night patrolled a quiet neighborhood in Evendale, Ohio, and released a statement saying a relative of the soldier may live there. Police Chief Niel Korte asked reporters to refrain from identifying the resident out of worry the safety of that person and neighborhood would be jeopardized.

Bales' connection to Ohio could not immediately be confirmed. WCPO television station in Cincinnati reported that Bales attended Norwood High School.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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