HASTINGS — The judge ordered Jordan William Salmela to submit to a urine test. He said he didn’t have to go.

Then he tried to go the hard way.

The 22-year-old Hastings man leapt from the second floor of the Dakota County courthouse on Wednesday, Jan. 16 in an apparent attempt to get away from the probation officers who were supposed to test him.

He didn’t get far, landing on his head on the floor below and winding up in the hospital, according to Dakota County Chief Deputy Sheriff Tim Leslie.

The incident took place shortly after 10 a.m. Salmela, who has a handful of misdemeanor drug and theft convictions over the past few years, was in court for a theft charge.

His previous convictions have included requirements for chemical testing.

District Court Judge David Knutson ordered Salmela to undergo a urine test with the probation department, Leslie said, but “he didn’t want to do it.” He told deputies he didn’t have to go and had to drink more water.

They said they weren’t leaving until he completed the test. At that point, he ran and jumped from the second floor to the first.

“It was kind of spontaneous,” Leslie said.

He landed near a children’s play area, but no children were present. He appeared to have broken bones, but the sheriff’s department doesn’t currently know the full extent of his injuries, which are not believed to be life threatening.

Salmela is not under arrest at the hospital. Leslie said it’s not yet clear if he’ll be charged for the incident.