Jun 28, 2005 2:24 pm US/Central
Inmate Escapes From Cook County Jail
May Have Robbed Bank In Stolen Uniform
by Dana Kozlov
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
The FBI Tuesday was investigating a possible connection between an escaped Cook County inmate and a robber who held up a downtown bank.
Authorities say the robber held up the First American Bank on East Adams Monday and got away with an unknown amount of money at about 2:12 p.m. He wore what appeared to be a Cook County sheriff's police uniform, according to FBI spokesman Ross Rice.
Police said the robber got away with about $2,500 in cash.
Cook County inmate Randy Rencher, 37, had escaped from a medium-security division sometime between noon and 2 p.m. Monday, said Cook County Sheriff's Department spokesman Bill Cunningham.
Rencher was delivering lunches to other inmates when he escaped and authorities were unsure how he did it, Cunningham said.
A guard noticed Rencher was missing just before 3 p.m., and the jail was locked down for two hours until authorities determined that he was not on the grounds, Cunningham said.
Rice said Rencher's features are "close to that of the robber" and that the FBI is waiting for photos to see if they match witnesses' descriptions of the robber, Rice said.
A number of law enforcement agencies are assisting in the investigation as part of the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, including the U.S. Marshals Service.
Rencher, of south suburban Matteson, had been incarcerated since November on three charges: possession of a controlled substance, unlawful use of a weapon and home invasion. He is 6 feet, 3 inches tall, weighs 180 pounds, has brown eyes and thinning brown hair.
The last time an inmate escaped from the jail, which houses 10,000 inmates in Chicago, was in 1995, Cunningham said.
Anyone with information can contact the U.S. Marshals Service at (312) 353-5290.
(© MMV, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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