LEBANON — An escaped federal prisoner shot and killed himself Sunday after a 25-hour standoff with authorities at a Lebanon motel, police said.

        James P. Magourik, 50, took his girlfriend hostage inside the Budget Inn at 115 N. Broadway after U.S. marshals and the Warren County Tactical Response Team tried to arrest him about 8:45 p.m. Saturday, said Sgt. Rick Bens.

        Mr. Magourik is a forger who walked out of a minimum-security federal work camp in Kentucky in November.

        He threatened to kill himself and the woman several times throughout the night, authorities said. Negotiators persuaded him to release the unharmed woman, whose name was not released, about 8 a.m. Sunday.

        But the prisoner continued to barricade himself inside the room. After he cut off communication about 10 a.m., police threw a ""flash bang” grenade, mwhich emits an explosion and a bright flash of light, through a back bathroom window. Four minutes later, they broke into the room and found him dead on the bed from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Sgt. Bens said.

Man found hanging in cell later dies

               An inmate at the Butler County Jail was found hanging in his cell shortly after midnight Sunday in an apparent suicide attempt, according to the Butler County Sheriff's Office.

        Michael Phillip Oliver, 20, of Oxford, was taken to Fort Hamilton Hospital after his cell mates found him hanging by a bedsheet tied around his neck. He died about 6:15 a.m.

        Mr. Oliver was jailed Friday on an aggravated robbery charge in the holdup of an Oxford convenience store. Corrections personnel had been at his cell frequently Saturday night before the incident, sheriff's officials said.

        His bunk mate had gone to sleep, and another inmate had reportedly talked with Mr. Oliver minutes before the suicide attempt.

        Mr. Oliver's death remains under investigation. Mr. Oliver had previously served time in Butler County, most recently being released Jan. 4 after serving 132 days for failure to appear and domestic violence.

Flea marketers sold fakes, police say

               Four merchants accused of selling more than $14,000 worth of counterfeit merchandise at Rink's Flea Market in Springfield Township were arrested late Saturday after undercover police bought some of the fake items.

        Abdelaziz Aboulkassim, 35, of the 9900 block of Arborwood Drive, was charged with two counts of trademark counterfeiting and resisting arrest after he ran out the back of the market, police said.

        The merchandise included CDs, movie videotapes, clothes and shoes, arrest reports indicate.

        An undercover officer bought two T-shirts, then confronted Mr. Aboulkassim, who ran but was caught after a short chase through a creek, police said.

        Three other merchants were charged with trademark counterfeiting: Kadara Dia, 43, of the 800 block of Ezzard Charles Drive, Sainey Sabally, 43, of the 3200 block of Nandale Drive,, and Charmane Jammeh, 26, of the 4400 block of Colerain Avenue.

Channel 19 goes gray for a while

               Viewers without a cable connection lost the picture on Channel 19 for about 1 1/4 hours Saturday night.

        A station employee, who declined to give his name, said Sunday he did not know the cause of the 9:30-11 p.m. disruption. But only people who received the television signal over the air, not by direct connection, were affected, he said.

Suspect in January assault is arrested

               A North College Hill man accused of shooting a man in the left leg Jan. 23 in Northside was arrested early Sunday and charged with two counts of felonious assault.

        Amantu Caldwell, 22, of the 7900 block of Clovernook Avenue, was being held at the Hamilton County jail after briefly running from police during a traffic stop about 3 a.m.

        Mr. Caldwell is accused of punching a man in the mouth, breaking his jaw, and of shooting another man who came to help the punched man during a conflict in the 4200 block of Mad Anthony Street, court records show.

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