Inmate left overnight in Kentucky courthouse cell

An inmate mistakenly left alone overnight at a Kentucky courthouse has been returned to jail.

News outlets report that a pretrial release officer happened to discover James Thomas Adkins Tuesday morning locked inside a Whitley County Judicial Center holding cell in Williamsburg. Sheriff Colan Harrell says officials took Adkins there Monday afternoon for a hearing on charges related to nonpayment of fines and failure to appear.

Harrell says the courtroom security officer responsible for making sure the cells were empty forgot about Adkins while responding to a man in the building threatening suicide.

Harrell is now creating a checklist for guards to follow before they leave. He hasn't decided whether to take disciplinary action against the officer who left Adkins.

Adkins was returned to the county detention center.