Suspect shoots himself to death while in police custody in Columbiana Co.

EAST LIVERPOOL — Authorities are trying to figure out where Jason E. Miller was hiding a gun when he was arrested and put into the back seat of a St. Clair Township police cruiser.

Moments after his arrest at 8:30 p.m. Friday, Miller, 38, of East Liverpool, used the weapon to fatally shoot himself, said Don Hyatt, township police chief.

The Columbiana County Sheriff’s office and the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation are handling the investigation into Miller’s death.

Hyatt said Miller was wanted on a number of warrants, including shoplifting and failure to appear for court hearings, both by his department and others.

Police got an anonymous tip Friday night that Miller was in the area of Ainsley Road and McDonald Street in the township, and two officers went to the scene, Hyatt said. They spotted Miller walking at the intersection and took him into custody without incident, he said.

Miller was “patted down” in a search for any weapons or contraband and his hands were handcuffed behind his back before he was placed in the back seat of a cruiser, Hyatt said.