Father of robbery suspect: Drugs made him do it
Gene Fanton Jr. has 72 hours for a hearing with a lawyer if he chooses. His father, Gene Fanton Sr., can't believe his son is in jail, but he knows why - prescription drugs.
"He never got in trouble in his life, he's got no record," said the father. "The stuff (medicine) got a hold of him, it makes you do nutty things ... look what happened today."
The elder Fanton said his son was always a good person.
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"Of course he is, I raised him since he was a boy," he said. "He was on prescription medicine for a while and he wasn't the same person.
"I'm sure he wouldn't do something like that if he was not on the medicine," the father said of his son.
Police said they are now trying to see if Gene Fanton Jr. is the same person who robbed the same store and took prescription medicine during the summer. That person took off across the golf course toward Belmont and got away.
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Monday, the younger Fanton had a gun. Allegany County Undersheriff William Goetschius confirmed Gene Fanton Jr. has a legal gun permit, and the gun he saw is similar to the one on the permit.
Goetschius said he knows this because the gun was allegedly fired at him when the younger Fanton drove a van around the building toward him to get away from police.
"They said he's coming, 'He's coming, he's coming.' I was going to block him in, but he rammed my car," said Goetschius. "He held the gun up to the window and fired. I saw glass flying. I pulled my gun up."
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Goetschius said he saw a trooper in his line of fire and did not shoot. Gene Fanton Jr. was later caught down the road.