An inmate died Sunday morning in his cell at the Alamance County jail, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
William Lawrence Cowan, 29, was found unresponsive at 9:49 a.m. Jan. 12. Staff began CPR and called for EMS, but Cowan could not be revived, according to a news release. No foul play is suspected, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Cowan, of 439 W. Front St., Apt. C, was charged in mid-November with breaking and entering a building with the intent to commit a felony or larceny.
Police were called just after 9 a.m. to the 700 block of Edinburgh Court, where police said Cowan was trying to break through the back door with an ax while residents were inside.
The homeowner confronted him at the door with a shotgun, and he fled and was arrested two blocks over on Warwick Court, police said.
No one was injured. Cowan was held in lieu of $5,000 bail.
After Cowan’s death, the State Bureau of Investigation was called in to assist with the investigation, as per protocol. The SBI could not be reached for additional comments Tuesday afternoon.