Man who tried to kill his ex's new boyfriend in Elburn sentenced to six years

A man convicted of trying to kill a father and son by tampering with the gas meter outside an Elburn home offered an emotional apology to his victims and his own family before being sentenced to six years in prison.

Kane County Judge David Kliment opted for the minimum sentence and encouraged Frank E. Ryan, of Waterman, to use his time in prison to continue working on his life so that he doesn't wind up behind bars again. Ryan, who was convicted in August of two counts of attempted murder, was eligible for up to 30 years in prison.

"Today, before the court, I'd like to take full responsibility for my reckless actions," Ryan said during his sentencing hearing. "I'm sorry."

Assistant State's Attorney Lori Anderson requested a 15-year sentence for Ryan, who targeted the new boyfriend of his ex-girlfriend.

"This is not a normal response to a romantic breakup," Anderson said during Thursday's hearing.

Ryan was arrested on Jan. 19, 2020, after tampering with the gas line at the home of Richard Rittgarn, who is now married to Ryan's ex-girlfriend. She was not in the home that night, but Rittgarn and his son, now 28, were inside sleeping.

Richard Rittgarn awoke to the smell of natural gas around 2:30 a.m. He heard a loud hissing noise and discovered a hole had been drilled through a wall of the home and a plastic tube, connected to the natural gas line at the meter outside, had been inserted in the hole.

Rittgarn was able to block the hole with a pen and called firefighters.

Anderson read a victim impact statement from Rittgarn. In his statement, Rittgarn wrote that the attempt caused stress and fear for his family. Since then, he installed cameras and motion sensing-lights outside his home.

"I feel bad," Rittgarn said. "I wish him no harm and I wish things were different … I still fear he may try something when he gets out."

In his own statement, Ryan said he has used his time in jail to take a variety of courses, tend to his mental health and participate in weekly Bible studies.

Anderson noted Ryan was arrested again a few months after he had been charged with attempted murder. In the April arrest, Ryan had called for a tow truck after getting stuck in the mud in a field near Rittgarn's home. Anderson noted police found a variety of items including two garage door openers, one to Rittgarn's home and one to his ex-girlfriend's home, zip ties, large garbage bags, duct tape, binoculars, gloves and a shotgun.

In January, Ryan was found guilty of possession of a firearm on a revoked firearm owner's identification card, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and violation of bail bonds. He was sentenced to two years on those charges, but his conviction is being appealed, defense attorney Kenneth Johnson said.