A man awaiting sentencing for murder escaped from a jail in eastern Illinois Wednesday after beating a guard into unconsciousness , taking his keys and uniform and speeding off in his SUV . Kamron T. Taylor , who has a history of escape attempts , fled from the Jerome Combs Detention Center in Kankakee at about 3 a.m . He somehow escaped from his cell , hid inside the facility , then beat and choked the guard who was making rounds , said Kankakee County Sheriff Timothy Bukowski . Taylor , a 23-year-old from Kankakee , is considered armed and dangerous , the sheriff said . He was convicted of first-degree murder in February and faces a sentence of 45 years to life in prison . Scroll down for video . On the run : Convicted murderer Kamron T. Taylor escaped from jail early Wednesday . Not going quietly : In this photo taken in February , Taylor was removed from a Kankakee County courtroom after struggling with the deputies and yelling at the crowd in the gallery after being found guilty of murder . Besides hunting him down , investigators were eager to determine how Taylor got free in what was the first successful escape from the decade-old lockup housing about 450 detainees . Escaped : The 23-year-old Taylor was awaiting sentencing when authorities say he beat a guard into unconsciousness , took his keys and uniform and sped off in his SUV . 'The speculation on my part is somebody did n't do their job properly , ' Bukowski said . After getting free of his two-man cell in a lockdown unit , Taylor hid out and attacked the guard , a military veteran with 10 years of correctional experience , Bukowski said . By wearing the guard 's uniform , Taylor was able to fool other guards in a master control room who opened three sets of doors for him after visual verification by surveillance video , Bukowski said . Once outside , the suspect repeatedly pressed the guard 's key fob to locate his Chevrolet Equinox in a parking lot and drive away . Authorities did n't learn of the escape until about 30 minutes later , when jail staff found the wounded officer , who is hospitalized in intensive care with head wounds . 'He was in and out of consciousness , unable to understand the questions that were given to him , ' Bukowski said of the guard at a news conference . A few hours after sunrise , officers found the abandoned SUV in a residential area of Kankakee and approached the vehicle with their guns drawn . But Taylor was nowhere to be found and it was n't clear whether he fled on foot or someone picked him up in another vehicle , the sheriff said . At one point Wednesday , authorities issued an alert for a 15-year-old girl , Savannah Bell , who they believed was with Taylor . Illinois State Police later announced the girl had been found , but did not say where or how officials found her or whether she had been with Taylor . Wanted : A $ 1,000 reward is being offered by police for any information that leads to Taylor 's capture . Dangerous : A woman rushes to her car in Kankakee , Ill. , Wednesday , April 1 , 2015 , after being told by police that officers were searching in the area for prison escapee Kamron T. Taylor . Following the trail : Police approach a vehicle with guns drawn that convicted murderer Kamron T. Taylor stole during his escape . Safe and well : Authorities say they ’ ve found a 15-year-old girl , Savannah Bell , who they had thought to be in the company of convicted murderer who escaped from jail . Jail staffing levels and procedures will be re-examined , but Bukowski said Taylor 's history of violence and previous escape attempts did n't necessarily single him out for stricter security measures . 'It raises an alert , I guess , ' he said . 'But you figure the people that are locked up in our facility are n't altar boys and you take certain precautions for all of them . And you ca n't become complacent with anybody ... especially a murderer . ' During his trial in February , Taylor tried to escape from the courthouse minutes after hearing the guilty verdict . Several sheriff 's deputies and bailiffs wrestled him to the ground , and Taylor shouted expletives at the gallery as they led him away , according to a report in The ( Kankakee ) Daily Journal . He also escaped briefly after his arrest in 2013 but was detained several blocks away , the newspaper reported at the time . Taylor was found guilty of the June 2013 shooting death of 21-year-old Nelson Williams Jr. during a botched robbery at Williams ' home in Kankakee . Online court records show his sentencing is scheduled for May 11 .
TaylorKamron T. Taylor was recently convicted of murder . He stole officers keys and uniform being fleeing the jail in officers vehicle . Kamron T. Taylor was awaiting sentencing when he escaped . The 23-year-old fugitive is wanted for aggravated battery to a correctional officer as well as escape . A $ 1,000 cash reward is being offered for any information . Authorities say they have found a 15-year-old girl who they had thought to be in the company of the murderer .