CHICAGO — Kenneth Conley, who scaled the walls of the Metropolitan Correctional Center in a brazen escape before being captured Friday in Palos Hills, was ordered to remain in federal custody after a court appearance Saturday morning.
Conley appeared in federal court, and was advised of his legal rights, the charge against him and the a maximum penalty, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's office. Conley faces five years and a $250,000 fine for his escape attempt. He was already facing a 20-year sentence for a 2011 bank robbery in which he allegedly stole $3,969 from an MF Financial Bank in Homewood.
Kenneth Conley, 38, was taken into custody Friday afternoon after police spotted him during an investigation at an apartment complex on the 10200 block of South 86th Terrace, Palos Hills Police Chief Paul Madigan said.
Conley and an accomplice, Joseph "Jose" Banks, made a daring escape from the Metropolitan Correctional Center on Dec. 18, in which they fashioned a rope out of bedsheets. A massive, multi-state manhunt ensued, and the FBI offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the fugitives' arrests.
Banks was caught in Lincoln Park a few days after the escape.