Court security questioned after inmate's escape at verdict

Hennepin County authorities said Friday that they will tighten security at the county government center in downtown Minneapolis after an inmate's brazen escape from a 16th-floor courtroom the day before.

Michael David Henderson, 25, of Richfield, eluded three court officers after jumping over the courtroom railing in his escape Thursday afternoon, Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek said Friday.

The incident left police facing an overnight search for a potentially dangerous escapee and raised fresh doubts about security at a courthouse where about 35,000 inmates pass through every year.

The sheriff's office will have to develop strategies "to keep the courtroom secured and to keep everyone safe," said Hennepin County Chief Judge Peter Cahill.

Henderson, who was awaiting a verdict in an attempted murder case, ran from a courtroom to a nearby stairwell, shedding his shirt, tie and sport coat on the way down.

Stanek said that Henderson, who now could face new charges, jumped the rail that separated the public gallery from the attorneys' tables after "becoming fidgety" as his verdict was being read.

Henderson led authorities on a foot chase through two stairwells and, at one point, he crossed over to the other side of the building.

The daring escape left many concerned about how easily Henderson managed to elude three court officers — two of whom were armed — before slipping out of a fire exit — in about three minutes.

"It's like a maze up there," said Jennifer Johnson, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office.

Henderson was arrested in south Minneapolis Friday morning after police received a tip about a man asleep in a car.

The escape caused the sheriff's office to re-examine its security procedures, although it is uncertain what changes will be made.

The incident quickly took on election-year political overtones when Eddie Frizell, Stanek's opponent in the sheriff's race, summoned reporters to a news conference.

"He was afforded the opportunity through a lack of staffing, and thus through a lack of leadership from up top," Frizell told reporters. "We need to look at these policies and procedures so that these deputies can continue to do their jobs."

A sheriff's union spokesman said the staffing levels in the courtroom were lower than they have been in past years.

"Four years ago, in the courtroom with this high profile of a case, there would have been five or six deputies and a supervisor in a courtroom and there would have been a couple of deputies in a hallway or right outside a courtroom," said Dave O'Donnell, vice president of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Deputies Association, a union that represents nearly 300 deputies, crime lab technicians and detectives in the county.

Stanek declined to address Frizell's concerns during the news conference.

Later, he dismissed the notion that a reduction in the number of deputies in the courtroom had led to the escape.

But he said that budget constraints have forced the department to cut 55 positions in the past four years.

This is not the first time there has been trouble at the government center. Following a deadly shooting in 2003, authorities implemented new security measures. They installed metal detectors and X-ray equipment.

The existing security procedures worked as they are intended to, Stanek said, adding that this was the first such incident since he has been in office.

"What happened yesterday was an anomaly," he said.

Libor Jany • 612-673-4064 Twitter:@StribJany