Brief confusion over report of woman stuck in 'courthouse' elevator in downtown Modesto

In a power failure that does not appear heat-related, a woman was stuck for about 30 minutes in an elevator of the City Tower building downtown, which houses Merrill Lynch and the Stanislaus County Superior Court's civil and probate division.

About 1:30 p.m., firefighters were dispatched to an elevator rescue at "the courthouse," Modesto Fire Department Battalion Chief Darin Jesberg said. One unit went to the main courthouse at 800 11th St., he said, and found no trouble there. Another unit went to City Tower, at H and 10th streets, and located the woman stuck inside the elevator on the ground level.

When she called 911, the woman gave the correct address and said she was in the courthouse, Jesberg said. "That threw us off," said the battalion chief, adding that he didn't know there were court offices and a courtroom in City Tower. "We got here and quickly made contact with her. She was not in distress."

It actually was cooler inside the elevator than out, he said. When the doors opened, the woman was fine and went on her way, Jesberg said.

In the 2 p.m. hour, it had not yet been determined what led to the power failure, Jesberg said. "There must be a short someplace."

Modesto Irrigation District troubleshooters came on scene and were able to get one of the elevators re-energized to help a woman in a wheelchair on the fourth floor leave the building, he said.

With the power out indefinitely for the day, other occupants of the building evacuated through a stairwell. The elevators were locked open to prevent anyone from trying to use them, Jesberg said.

MID spokeswoman Melissa Williams said about 2:30 p.m. that the power issues "aren’t MID-related and appear to be on the building's side. They have their electricians looking into the issue."

This story was originally published June 22, 2018 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Brief confusion over report of woman stuck in 'courthouse' elevator in downtown Modesto."