Crime & Safety

Federal Inmate Indicted for Escape

Kenneth Conley, one of two men who escaped from the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown Chicago, faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He was captured in Palos Hills.

Kenneth Conley, one of two men who made headlines after their daring escape from a downtown correctional facility in December, was indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday on one count of escape, Sun-Times Media reports. 

Conley, 38, of Tinley Park, will be arraigned at a later date in U.S. District Court, according to the report. 

Conley, along with cellmate Joseph Banks, escaped by scaling 17 floors down the side of the jail—one of the world's only skyscraper prisons—on a rope made of bedsheets and other materials.

Find out what's happening in Paloswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Join the conversation. Friend Palos Patch on Facebook and sign up for the daily email newsletter!

Conley was arrested Jan. 4 in Palos Hills—three weeks after evading authorities during a manhunt in Tinley Park and the south suburbs. Conley had been hiding out in the basement of an apartment building. He was disguised as an elderly walking with a cane, and gave officers a fake name, before fleeing to another apartment and attempting to force his way inside with a fake BB gun. 

Find out what's happening in Paloswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Conley wrestled with and injured an officer before finally being arrested. 

Banks was arrested Dec. 20 in Chicago by the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force and the Chicago Police Department.

Patch Stories About the Hunt for the Escaped Convicts:

  • FBI: Prison Escapee Caught in Chicago; Cellmate Still at Large
  • Fugitive Manhunt: FBI Posts $50K Reward for Info on Convicts
  • Landlord: Mother Turned Away Escaped Convict at Front Door
  • Scenes From a Manhunt (Photo Gallery)
  • Fugitive Search Disrupts Funeral at Nearby Church
  • Orland Park Police Investigating False Bank Robbery Report


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.