FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (WTVR) – A felon police said ran off from a work release program in Pennsylvania and then robbed a bank was apprehended in Fredericksburg Thursday.
Fredericksburg police said 25-year-old Michael Hamilton was taken into custody Thursday after barricading himself inside a room at the Thomas Jefferson Motel on Augustine Avenue.
Hamilton is facing charges of escape from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania on March 9, 2012 and multiple charges related to a bank robbery on March 13.
Detectives from Montgomery County contacted Fredericksburg officers around noon on Thursday about Hamilton. They said they believed he was near the bus station at 1400 Jefferson Davis Highway.
Detectives emailed photos and wanted posters of Hamilton. Fredericksburg police showed the images and flyers to employees of businesses in the area.
A clerk at the Thomas Jefferson Motel called police around 2:15 to report a man matching the image on the flyer had just checked in to one of the motel rooms.
Officers responded, confirmed Hamilton was in the room, and then called out the Special Equipment and Tactical Team (SETT) and the Crisis Negotiation Team when it became apparent that Hamilton would not surrender.
Negotiators called Hamilton by phone and he eventually surrendered.
However, Hamilton had to be taken to Mary Washington Hospital about ten minutes after he arrived at Police Headquarters. Officials said he began to show an altered level of consciousness from a presumed heroin overdose.
Additionally, officials said they believe Hamilton has relatives in the Fredericksburg area.
