Mail Tribune News - Toddler stops elevator at courthouse

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Toddler stops elevator at courthouse A toddler brought an elevator at the Jackson County courthouse to a halt Thursday when he wandered into it and pushed the wrong button. The 2 1/2-year-old boy apparently wandered away from his mother on the first floor of the courthouse about 1 p.m. and into the elevator, then pushed the emergency stop button after the doors shut. "He didn't know," court operations supervisor Bob Kleker said. "It's a red button. What button would you push?" People on the other side of the door tried to get the boy to release the button, but Kleker said it's fairly difficult to pull out and he didn't think the boy had the strength. The boy, who could be heard screaming and crying, was rescued about a half-hour to 45 minutes later when maintenance crew members used a flat piece of metal to reach a release latch in the door. Kleker said this is the first time a child has become stuck in an elevator at the courthouse, but he said a person with limited sight became stuck about 10 years ago after pushing the wrong button.   Mail Tribune Copyright �  The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA