He said Linton Jr. was in the jail cell alone, but his cause of death has not been ruled. Hoffman said he couldn’t release how Linton Jr. may have committed suicide. He was wearing jail-issued clothing at the time, Hoffman said.
The Butler County Coroner’s Office was called and removed the body and an autopsy will be performed, Hoffman said.
While Linton Jr. was awaiting his arraignment Friday, he allegedly tried to escape from his holding cell by removing a light fixture and ceiling tile, court officials said. He faced additional charges after he tried to escape last week, according to court records.
Charges of escape and vandalism were added and his bond increased from $300,000 to $335,000, officials said. Linton Jr. was scheduled to appear for his preliminary hearing at 1:30 p.m. Friday in Middletown Municipal Court.
Linton Jr. allegedly robbed the Marsh Supermarket, 621 N. University Blvd., on July 21 and Aug. 4 and the American Savings Bank, 701 N. University Blvd., on Aug. 6, police said. He was arrested on Thursday afternoon and charged with the grocery store robberies, and a few hours later, for the bank robbery, Hoffman said.
Hoffman said Linton Jr. was located by police in a relative’s residence on Riverview Avenue. He was found hiding under a pile of clothes, Hoffman said. No one was injured, he said.
Hoffman said Linton admitted to the crimes, but didn’t say why he robbed the businesses. He did tell police to apologize to the female bank teller because she was “a nice lady.”
Hoffman said Linton Jr was located after his mug shot was recognized on the police department’s Facebook page. Hoffman said Linton Jr. told police he didn’t use a weapon during the robberies.
If convicted of the three aggravated robberies, all first-degree felonies, Linton Jr. faced 3 to 10 years on each count and a fine of $20,000 for each count.
Linton Jr. allegedly robbed the bank about 9:30 a.m. Thursday, his third Middletown robbery in 16 days. He allegedly walked into the bank and handed the teller a note demanding money. The suspect left the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash, said Fred DeBiasi, president/CEO of the bank.
He said the suspect didn’t show a weapon and no one was hurt. The bank was closed until about 2 p.m. Thursday, DeBiasi said.
When told Linton Jr. was arrested, DeBiasi said he was grateful for the police for apprehending the suspect “before he was able to victimize anyone else.”
Connie Gardner, a spokesperson for Marsh’s corporate offices in Indianapolis, said she couldn’t comment because it was an on-going police investigation.
The robberies at Marsh were similar, according to police reports.
Around 3 a.m. July 21, the clerk told police that a suspect walked into the store and robbed him with a gun possibly in his pocket. Linton Jr. allegedly was given about $150 in cash, a Mountain Dew and four packs of cigarettes, the clerk said.
Then on Tuesday morning, Linton Jr. allegedly approached the clerk — the same one from the previous robbery — and demanded money. The clerk told police the suspect said he had a weapon. The clerk told police he gave the man several hundred dollars, and he ran out of the store, heading north.
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