A 55-year-old Maryville, Illinois man hanged himself Thursday morning in his cell at Madison County Jail. Madison County Sheriff Robert Hertz says jail staff found the man at approximately 5:30 a.m. He'd hanged himself using personal undergarments.
Hertz said the inmate had been jailed since August 24, 2011 on the following criminal charges: aggravated criminal sexual assault, aggravated unlawful restraint, solicitation to commit home invasion, solicitation to commit aggravated kidnapping, solicitation to commit residential burglary, and unlawful possession of contraband in a penal institution (for making homemade weapons at the county jail).
The solicitation and contraband charges were filed against the inmate Wednesday after detectives learned he was planning to attack the woman he allegedly sexually assaulted in August 2011.
Guards at the county jail administered emergency medical treatment until Edwardsville Fire Department Emergency Medical Services arrived and determined the inmate had died.
Per sheriff's office protocol, the Madison County Coroner's Office, Illinois State Police and the Illinois Department of Corrections were notified of the suicide and are conducting a joint investigation.
The inmate's name is not being released.
