Men Use Homemade Rope to Escape High-Rise Chicago Jail

By NBC Chicago

Credit: NBC Chicago

A pair of convicted bank robbers escaped from a Chicago jail Tuesday by taking out the bars of a window and climbing down a rope made from scraps of cloth

December 19, 2012 Updated Dec 19, 2012 at 9:44 AM PDT

A pair of convicted bank robbers escaped from a Chicago jail Tuesday by taking out the bars of a window and climbing down a rope made from scraps of cloth.

Central District Police Sgt. Michael Lazzaro said the men likely escaped the Metropolitan Correctional Center between 5 a.m. and 7:45 a.m. Tuesday.

The FBI identified the men as 37-year-old Jose Banks and 38-year-old Kenneth Conley, who were believed to be traveling togethe. They were reportedly last seen Tuesday morning in the Tinley Park area. Federal arrest warrants were issued Tuesday evening.

Police surrounded a home in Tinley Park just before noon looking for the men.

Banks -- known as the "Second Hand Bandit" -- was convicted last week of stealing more than $600,000 during armed robberies. His cellmate, Conley, was convicted of stealing $4,000 last year from a bank in Homewood, Ill.

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