A man’s hair braids lead to Allegheny County Sheriff detectives finding him hiding in an attic Friday morning, the sheriff’s office said Saturday.
According to the sheriff’s office, Davon James, 32, had been a fugitive for the past month after probation violation warrants were issued on two different cases involving guilty pleas to firearms violations.
James, whose most recent address was on East Street in Pittsburgh’s North Side, also had a warrant out of Pittsburgh for charges including strangulation, simple assault and robbery.
A woman, who identified herself as James’ wife, said she had kicked him out of their house on Hubbard Street on the North Side in October.
On Dec. 13, the woman told police that James broke into the house when she was not home and threatened to kill her dogs unless she came back, according to court records.
An argument over their relationship turned physical as James hit her multiple times, choked her with one hand and threatened to kill her, a criminal complaint states. She told police that James took money from her.
Sheriff detectives learned this week that James was back at the Hubbard Street home. On Friday morning, the woman allowed detectives inside to look for James, but at first did not find him.
Detectives then noticed an attic access opening in the second-floor ceiling. They used a ladder to reach the opening, looked into the attic, and “immediately noticed what appeared to be hair braids sticking out of the insulation,” the sheriff’s office said.
James was completely covered by the insulation, the sheriff’s office said. After a few minutes, he complied with orders and was taken into custody and sent to the Allegheny County Jail.
James was arraigned Saturday and being held in the Allegheny County Jail on $2,000 bail. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 29, according to court records.
