A Crystal Lake police officer has been given a written warning after he lost his rifle and a convicted felon found the firearm and ditched it at a library next to a school in Crystal Lake in September.
Crystal Lake Police Chief James Black said that an off-duty employee of the Crystal Lake Police Department placed his personal rifle on the trunk of his vehicle in the garage of his residence in unincorporated Crystal Lake on September 21.
That employee has since been identified as Officer Salvatore Alfano.
Alfano’s spouse unknowingly entered the vehicle and accidentally drove off with the weapon, which was still in the case, in the trunk of the vehicle.
She later returned home and the weapon was gone. Alfano filed a report with the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and reported the incident to his command staff in Crystal Lake.
Officers conducted a canvass and reviewed video footage, which led them to believe the weapon slid off the trunk within the incorporated part of Crystal Lake, Black said.
Crystal Lake police detectives began investigating and conducted an interview with a subject around 9:30 a.m. on September 26 in the 1-100 block of McHenry Avenue in Crystal Lake based on video evidence they obtained.
Detectives were alerted that a gun was inside the home while they were interviewing the subject, Robert J. Walker Jr., 50, of Oakwood Hills.
Walker was detained and officers took possession of the firearm, which was determined to be the missing DSA Arms Model ZM4 AR-15 rifle.
Walker was charged with two counts of felon in possession of a firearm, aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon with a previous conviction, possession of a firearm while ineligible for a FOID and possession of a firearm within a school zone.
A criminal complaint said Walker has a prior felony conviction for burglary in McHenry County that prohibits him from possessing firearms.
Walker was also allegedly in possession of ammunition for the rifle at the residence, the complaint said.
Detectives learned Walker also possessed the gun in public on September 21, which is when the gun went missing, Black said.
Walker reported he had hidden the rifle in the bushes at the Crystal Lake Public Library because he was unable to make contact with a resident on McHenry Avenue.
The library is located directly across the street from Husmann Elementary School, 131 West Paddock Street.
A few hours later, the resident arrived home and Walker retrieved the discarded firearm from the bushes and brought it back to the residence on McHenry Avenue where it was later recovered by police days later, Black said.
An internal affairs investigation was launched into Alfano following the incident.
An employment action notice obtained by Lake and McHenry County Scanner on Thursday showed that Alfano was issued a written reprimand following the investigation.
The reprimand was issued by Deputy Police Chief Thomas Kotlowski, who found Alfano in violation of multiple department policies. The notice said Alfano had not had any prior incidents or warnings related to the subject.
“Officer Alfano will adhere to all rules, regulations and policies of this department and is hereby put on notice that failure to do so may result in discipline consistent with the Department’s policy of progressive discipline, including termination,” Kotlowski said.
Documents show Alfano had two other prior reprimands, including one for failing to appear for overtime duty on December 23, 2024, and for turning off his squad camera and bodycam while pursuing a fleeing dirt bike on September 1, 2024.