Ex-Cop Accused of Stealing Guns Has Second Court Hearing

The former Clarendon Hills police officer charged with stealing five guns from his department’s evidence room was in DuPage County Court Wednesday morning in Wheaton for a status hearing in which he was granted permission to attend an upcoming family function in Wisconsin.

Judge Daniel Guerin agreed to modify Daniel Ryan’s bond so that the accused can travel freely across state lines for a get-together that is taking place during the first week of August, according to Ryan defense attorney Jeff Kendall, of the Clarendon Hills firm DiBenedetto & Kendall, PC.

The prosecution did not object to the bond modification.

Also Wednesday, the two sides agreed to set up a time for disclosure of case documents in advance of the next status hearing, which will take place Aug. 31.

“We’ll sit down and look at everything together and see where we’re at on this thing,” Kendall said.

Ryan faces, among other charges, two counts of aggravated possession of a stolen firearm, a Class 1 felony. The 48-year-old Westmont resident . 

Kendall said the case is still in its early stages and he can’t speak yet about Ryan’s defense strategy.

“It’s still too early,” Kendall said. “We’ve got to get everything first.”

, according to the office of DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin. Berlin’s office, in conjunction with the FBI, joined an ongoing internal Clarendon Hills Police Department investigation into the guns' disappearance after an anonymous tip in February.

In addition to the aggravated possession counts, the ex-cop is charged with five counts of unlawful possession of a stolen firearm, one count of theft, and three counts of official misconduct.

According to Berlin spokesman Paul Darrah, Ryan could serve up to 15 years in prison if convicted on the Class 1 counts.

The guns Ryan is charged with stealing, according to Berlin's office, are an Ithaca M1911 A1 World War II U.S. Army .45 caliber gun; a .22 caliber Short Butler; a Smith and Wesson .38 caliber Airlight Special; a Mossberg 590 12 gauge shotgun; and a Connecticut Valley Bobcat .50 caliber gun.

Darrah said all the guns were stolen between Jan. 1, 2007, and Dec. 31, 2007.

According to the Clarendon Hills Police Department, none of the guns were used in a crime or were connected to any criminal case. They were given to the department in 1998, 1999, and 2005 by Clarendon Hills residents as part of a turn-in program.  

Clarendon Hills Village Manager Randy Recklaus ordered an independent review of the Clarendon Hills Police Department after the Ryan arrest. and found that the Ryan incident was not due to any systematic problems with police department policies or procedures.