Man who jumped or fell from third floor of courthouse avoids life sentence for the escape attempt
A man who jumped or fell off a third-floor courthouse rotunda balcony in Texas has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the failed escape attempt.
Orlof Paxton Edwards, 46, was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to enhanced escape charges, the Waco Tribune reports. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors agreed not to charge Edwards as a habitual offender, which carried a potential sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
Edwards has prior felony convictions for delivery of cocaine and auto burglary.
The incident occurred in May. Edwards ran after a judge revoked his bond when he was late to court a second time in a theft case, according to the newspaper account. Witnesses said he leaped over a counsel rail and ran out of the courtroom, then fell or jumped off the balcony. A deputy was unable to grab Edwards as he was going over the rail.
Edwards was taken to a hospital for treatment and then jailed.
