Crystal Lake police officer reprimanded after losing personal rifle

A Crystal Lake police officer was given a written reprimand after he lost a personal rifle that authorities said was recovered by a convicted felon.

An internal investigation was conducted after a days-long search by the Crystal Lake Police Department and the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office to find the officer’s personal gun in late September.

The search ended with the arrest of Robert J. Walker Jr., 50, of Oakwood Hills, on charges of illegally possessing a firearm as a felon, according to authorities and court records.

Authorities allege that Walker took the gun, a semiautomatic AR-15 in a case, from a Crystal Lake street after it was misplaced and failed to turn it in to police.

Authorities said the incident occurred Sept. 21, after Officer Salvatore Alfano left the weapon on top of the trunk of a family car at his home. A family member drove the car with the weapon still there, and it then slid off the vehicle during travel, according to authorities.

An internal investigation concluded in November. The officer was not placed on leave during the investigation, Deputy Chief of Police Richard Neumann said.

Alfano is a sworn officer who has been with the department since 2016, Deputy Chief of Police Thomas Kotlowski said.

According to a disciplinary action document obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, Alfano was given a “written reprimand” on Nov. 20 for violating the department’s policy on weapons conduct.

The investigation into the lost gun came after some said the department’s communication about the incident created confusion and concern in the community.

News first got out about the gun when the charges against Walker were filed. A criminal complaint against him stated the weapon had been hidden outside the Crystal Lake Public Library, which is across the street from Husmann Elementary School. Some community members expressed frustration that neither the school nor library was notified about the incident.

But in a Sept. 30 news release, Crystal Lake police said the gun was recovered at a home on McHenry Avenue, near the library. Two days later, a follow-up release by police reconfirmed that the weapon was stashed “for a few hours” on the grounds of the library.

In that release, Police Chief James Black clarified that there “were no threats made involving the possession of the firearm, and therefore there was no need to alert nearby schools, (the) library or residents because there was no danger to them. There was no evidence to lead police to believe Mr. Walker had any intention of harming someone with the weapon.”

Alfano could not be reached for comment.

Walker was released from custody with conditions while awaiting trial and is due back in McHenry County court Jan. 15.