Anamosa inmate’s suicide nearly 10 years after Coralville, Johnson County robberies

An inmate serving time at Anamosa State Penitentiary for two robbery convictions in Johnson County died by an apparent suicide Tuesday.

Calvin Pearson, 52, had been incarcerated at Anamosa since November 2010 for two convictions of second-degree robbery, the Iowa Department of Corrections said.

In 2009, police said Pearson held a motel card key to a man's throat, pretending it was a knife, and took a wallet and money after assisting the elderly couple with putting merchandise in their vehicle at the Coralville Walmart. The next day, Oct. 17, Pearson stole a purse from a woman's arm at the Tiffin Rest Area on Interstate 80.

Pearson was pronounced dead at 8:03 p.m. Tuesday at UnityPoint Health-Jones County Regional Medical Center. An autopsy will be conducted as part of the department's investigation.