Crime & Safety
Felony Gun Theft Charges Filed Against Former Clarendon Hills Police Officer
Daniel Ryan is accused of stealing five guns from the department's evidence room in 2007; he resigned in April.
DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin announced Friday that felony charges are being filed against former Clarendon Hills police officer Daniel Ryan for the theft of five guns taken from the department's evidence room in 2007, according to Berlin spokesman Paul Darrah.
Ryan turned himself in Friday to the DuPage County Sheriff's Office, a press release from Berlin's office said. The State's Attorney'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.
Darrah could not give any information about the nature of the anonymous tip.
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Ryan, 48, is charged with two counts of aggravated possession of a stolen firearm, five counts of unlawful possession of a stolen firearm, one count of theft, and three counts of official misconduct.
Aggravated possession of a stolen firearm is a Class 1 felony, according to Berlin's office. Darrah said that if convicted of the Class 1 counts, Ryan could be sentenced to a maximum of 15 years in prison.
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“Anytime a public servant is charged with a crime it is indeed a sad day,” Berlin was quoted as saying in his office's release. “I want to make it perfectly clear, however, that these charges are against one man and are not an indictment on an entire police force."
Clarendon Hills Police Department Deputy Chief Ted Jenkins said Ryan, of Westmont, resigned in April after serving on the force for nearly 20 years. He was hired in December 1991.
The stolen guns, 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.
The Clarendon Hills Police Department also issued a release Friday which said that 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 who longer wanted them as part of a turn-in program.
According to the police department, Ryan was a suspect before Berlin's office and the FBI were involved based on the department's own information-gathering, which Darrah confirmed.
Even so, Darrah said the FBI was a "full partner" in the investigation.
"They worked right alongside us," Darrah said. "It was equal share."
Ryan posted bail, and according to Darrah, is scheduled for a June 14 court appearance in front of Judge Daniel Guerin.
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