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A 19-year-old man who surrendered after escaping from the Will County Courthouse sought leniency from a judge Wednesday, saying, “I didn’t know what else to do but run.”

Leroy McAfee will be sentenced Monday by Judge Stephen D. White.

McAfee, who fled the courthouse after he was convicted of armed robbery, said that he did not rob a Joliet supermarket in May 1997 and that his escape was motivated by fear.

McAfee’s attorney, Robert Livas, asked White to consider McAfee’s surrender when determining a sentence.

Assistant State’s Atty. Gerald Woodcock is seeking a “lengthy sentence” for McAfee because he shot at and wounded two people during the robbery and because of his escape.