In a scene straight out of a movie, a man bolted from the Will County Courthouse in Joliet after failing a drug test, only to be caught moments later in a nearby parking garage, officials reported.

Patrick Conroyd, 42, admitted to probation staff that he had been using cocaine, according to Will County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer. A court-ordered drug test confirmed the presence of both cocaine and fentanyl in his system.

Conroyd, who has listed addresses in Joliet and Beecher, faced potential remand due to his history of felony charges for identity theft and burglary. Probation officers or social workers may have alerted him to the likelihood of returning to jail, Hoffmeyer said.

“When he stepped before the judge to discuss his case, he was informed he would be remanded. Before security could act, Conroyd took off running,” Hoffmeyer explained. He left his personal belongings behind in the courtroom, sprinting down the fourth-floor hallway with sheriff’s deputies close on his heels.

Conroyd exited the courthouse through an emergency door, with surveillance cameras tracking his movements. He weaved through the courthouse annex area and a nearby parking garage, attempting to evade capture.

Construction workers in the vicinity spotted him and alerted deputies to his location.

Conroyd was eventually found lying on the ground in the garage and was promptly taken back into custody. After being returned to the courtroom, he received a sharp rebuke from the judge.

The Will County State’s Attorney’s Office quickly approved escape charges, with additional charges potentially forthcoming, Hoffmeyer confirmed.

This incident adds yet another chapter to Conroyd’s troubled legal history, underscoring the challenges law enforcement faces in managing repeat offenders.

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