Inmate left in judicial center holding cell overnight

A Whitley County inmate was stuck in a holding cell at the judicial center for nearly a day after court security personnel forgot him Monday.

The inmate, identified as 41-year-old James Thomas Adkins, had appeared in court Monday afternoon for failure to pay fines and failing to appear in court and had been returned to the 10’ x 10’ holding cell to await transport back to the detention center.

Whitley County Sheriff Colan Harrell said the court security officer responsible for inmate transport had become distracted with another individual threatening to commit suicide.

Upon resolving that situation, the officer failed to check the holding cells before leaving the facility.

Harrell said the cells are equipped with a toilet and a sink and at least some of the lights were on throughout the ordeal.

Harrell said Adkins could have potentially been stuck in the cell until Wednesday but a pretrial release officer, who had come into the center, found Adkins about 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Adkins was taken back to the detention center where he remains incarcerated.

Harrell said that the court security officers are supposed to check the cells prior to leaving the building.

“It was one of those things were the CSO got distracted and didn’t get back to business,” Harrell said. “I’m going to have to make out a checklist for them to follow for my own satisfaction.