A 21-year-old Topsham man was found hanging by a bed sheet inside his cell at Two Bridges Jail in Wiscasset Feb. 28 in what the State Medical Examiner’s Office has determined to be an apparent suicide.
The inmate, Robi Saputra, was awaiting trial on arson charges following an Aug. 17, 2010 house fire in Topsham at the former annex of the Brunswick Naval Air Station. Saputra was arrested on Aug. 19, 2010 and charged with arson and violating conditions of bail for a prior drug charge.
According to Maine Dept. of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland, Saputra was alone in his cell and had been checked on 30 minutes earlier by jail personnel during routine rounds.
An apparent suicide note was also found in the cell.
McCausland said it was standard operating procedure to have state police investigate all inmate deaths within the state’s correctional facilities.
“It’s a very sad ending to a troubled life,” said McCausland.
According to Kennebec County District Attorney Evert Fowle, Saputra was indicted Feb. 11 by a grand jury on charges of aggravated furnishing of scheduled drugs, unlawful furnishing of scheduled drugs and furnishing liquor to a minor.
“This is an aggravated charge because at least two of the people involved were minors,” said Fowle. “His passing is unfortunate and all charges will obviously be dismissed.”
