Former officer sentenced to 4 years prison for gun theft, misconduct

A former Hebron police officer has been sentenced to four years in prison for stealing three guns from his department and official misconduct, according to McHenry County prosecutors and court records.

A jury in August convicted Ryszard Kopacz, 32, of Wonder Lake, of aggravated possession of stolen firearms. Prosecutors argued that Kopacz, a former Hebron sergeant, stole three guns from the department's evidence vault after he was terminated in June 2014 for budget reasons.

Kopacz was in court Monday to be sentenced by Judge Michael Feetterer when Kopacz — who was hired by the Richmond Police Department — pleaded guilty to official misconduct charges from a separate case.

Prosecutors said several elderly community members complained to the Richmond Police Chief that Kopacz had come to their homes, said he had a toothache and asked them for pain medication.

The tips prompted an FBI investigation in which authorities learned from an informant that Kopacz had been delivering marijuana while on duty and in uniform while working for Hebron, prosecutors said.

Kopacz had faced up to 15 years in prison on the most severe weapons charge and a maximum of five years prison on the misconduct charges.

Under state law, Kopacz will serve half his prison sentence if he has good behavior while incarcerated. Kopacz, free on $10,000 bond, must surrender Monday, Jan. 4, to begin serving his sentence.