Tulsa Tower Trespasser Back on Terra Firma

William Sturdivant, the disturbed Oklahoma man who was perched on KOKI Tulsa's broadcast tower for almost six days, was coaxed off the stick Tuesday evening. Retired Tulsa Police department negotiator Tyrone Lynn got Sturdivant to climb into a bucket ladder, and the police eased him to ground.

"It's a good day for the city to help a young man who's struggling through mental illness like that," Lynn told Fox affiliate KOKI.

Lynn said he got Sturdivant to open up a bit, and developed a degree of trust with the transgressor.

"We talked about his childhood. We talked my children. We talked about what was going to happen afterwards. We prayed a couple times," Lynn told KOKI.

Sturdivant was treated for dehydration, and Tulsa police said he would likely be transferred to a mental health facility.

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.