Kendall County deputies thwart escape attempt

Four days behind bars were apparently too much to handle for a Montgomery man who was found making his way through the ceiling at the Kendall County jail Monday morning during an attempted escape, according to authorities.

Ryan W. Cleary, 20, of the 2000 block of Summerwind Lane, climbed into a part of the jail's suspended ceiling around 9:30 a.m. Monday and made it about 25 feet on top of ventilation ductwork before sheriff's deputies located him, police said.

Sabrina Jennings, corrections commander at the jail, said it would have been impossible for Cleary to break out of the jail through the ventilation system because of the way it was reinforced during construction.

“Ryan Cleary was in the ceiling with no means of escape and still within the Secure Detention Facility,” she said.

Cleary was serving time for aggravated battery to a police officer and aggravated resisting an officer after he fought with police who showed up at his home on Feb. 3 to arrest him for a probation violation, according to authorities.

The escape attempt is only the second at the current Kendall County jail, which has been in use since 1992, Jennings said. The first occurred in January 1998 when an inmate was caught chipping away the wall in his jail cell.

New charges of attempted escape and criminal damage to state supported property are pending against Cleary, according to the Kendall County Sheriff's Office.

“At no time did Ryan Cleary pose a threat to the public,” according to a sheriff's office statement. “The construction of the Kendall County Jail walls are reinforced to thwart escape efforts.”

The Kendall County Sheriff's Office is continuing their investigation.