Law enforcement authorities were able to convince a 35-year-old man to climb from the roof of the Holland Theatre, 127 E. Columbus Ave., rather than jumping to his death Saturday evening.
At 8:20 p.m., officers of the Bellefontaine Police Department and deputies of the Logan County Sheriff’s Office converged on the theater after the man’s sister called to report the man was on the roof and intended to jump off.
He was found on the ledge of the building along Opera Street. Officers and deputies assured him he was not in trouble and they merely wanted to help him.
He told them he wanted his dog back from his ex-girlfriend and would consider coming off the roof if the dog was brought to the scene. Meanwhile, his sister arrived with her husband, who proceeded to climb onto the roof. They reminded him of his daughter and other reasons to live.
More officers and emergency personnel arrived on scene. Two officers made their way onto the roof.
The man was standing on a ledge of the theater’s upper roof when officers climbed from the ladder onto the roof. One of the officers knew the man was a musician and began discussing his talents.
The officer slowly worked his way to within few feet of the man. He reached out his hand and offered to the man who began crying and said, “I don’t know what to do anymore.”
At that point, the officer grabbed the man’s right arm and pulled him off the ledge. Both officers and the brother-in-law sat with the man for few minutes to further calm him and then escorted him down from the roof top.
Once on the ground, the man was transported by a Bellefontaine squad to Mary Rutan Hospital for evaluation.