BENTON – A Franklin County jury trial scheduled for Tuesday has been continued until May 16 for a 60-year-old Salem man accused of armed bank robbery.

The defense counsel filed a motion Friday during a final pretrial hearing seeking a mental fitness evaluation for their client Earl Morlan.

The court granted the motion and continued the case with a final pretrial hearing now scheduled for May 10 and the jury selection now scheduled for May 16.

Morlan was reportedly identified by Marion County law enforcement after they recognized him in a bank surveillance photo.

Morlan’s bond in the case was set at $250,000 following his arrest for the armed robbery of the Southern Illinois Bank in Zeigler earlier this year.

Last month a judge denied a defense motion to reduce that bond, citing Morlan’s long criminal history not only in Illinois but out of state, as well.