Inmate briefly escapes to roof behind New Orleans court

An inmate escaped to the roof of the old parish prison building Tuesday morning and threatened to jump, the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies convinced Devontay Jenkins, 18, to come down from the roof after he escaped from a holding area before a scheduled court appearance and ran up the stairwell, OPSO spokesman Philip Stelly said.

Jenkins was on the roof for less than an hour, Stelly said. After the incident, he was taken to the OPSO medical clinic for observation.

It’s the second time in one week that Devontay Jenkins, 18, has tried to escape to a high place. He was arrested Wednesday while hiding in a woman’s attic in the 2300 block of Allen Street in the 7th Ward.

Read the full story at The New Orleans Advocate.

This story was originally published July 5, 2016 at 6:52 PM with the headline "Inmate briefly escapes to roof behind New Orleans court."