Man charged with robbing NewBridge bank twice dies after apparent suicide attempt

RALEIGH, NC (WWAY) – The man charged with a recent string of robberies has died of an apparent suicide.

According to a news release from the NC Department of Public Safety, inmate Michael Rollins, 36, was pronounced dead at WakeMed yesterday.

He was transported to the hospital Saturday afternoon after a nurse found him unresponsive in a shower at Central Prison, after an apparent suicide attempt.

Rollins was a pre-trial inmate from New Hanover County facing charges for robbery with a dangerous weapon (4 counts) and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Wilmington police say on January 30, Rollins walked into the NewBridge Bank on South College Road and pointed a gun at the teller. Witnesses told police they spotted a vehicle quickly leave a neighboring building. Police pulled the vehicle over about 30 minutes later and arrested Rollins.

Police say Rollins was also the man who robbed this same bank on January 9 and also robbed the Little Caesars on University Drive, as well as the TidalMart on Greenville Avenue on January 24.

The State Capitol Police Department is investigating the death, with assistance from the Raleigh/Wake City-County Bureau of Identification.