Starting March 23, Leland Grove Police Chief Dan Ryan will not be able to drive a motor vehicle while he’s awaiting trial for driving under the influence. At a March 20 court appearance, Ryan’s attorney asked for a continuation of the hearing related to an automatic license suspension, which was granted by Sangamon County Judge Rudolph Braud.
The statutory summary suspension is a state penalty that automatically suspends anyone who refuses to test, or tests over legal limits, for substance impairment while driving a motor vehicle. The law, which is a civil penalty rather than a criminal charge, automatically leads to a driver’s license suspension for a minimum of one year should the driver of a motor vehicle refuse chemical DUI testing.
Court records show Ryan’s license suspension begins March 23 and is set to expire after one year. Ryan’s next scheduled court date is June 8.
Police arrested Ryan, 53, in the early hours of Feb. 5 driving his patrol vehicle after an argument with his partner, a 28-year-old woman, escalated. Robert Hoecker, the arresting Illinois State Police trooper, noted in his report that Ryan showed signs of impairment, admitted to consuming whiskey prior to driving, and “there was a half-empty bottle of whiskey in (the) back seat.”
Prosecutors have charged Ryan with DUI, violating open container laws and improper lane usage along with failure to use a turn signal. Although a different Feb. 5 ISP report, filed by the trooper who visited the 28-year-old woman, notes that Ryan will “be charged with domestic battery,” that charge has not been filed by the State’s Attorney’s Office. It’s unclear if prosecutors have decided not to pursue the domestic battery charge.
Despite Ryan’s decades of time with local law enforcement, no special prosecutor has been appointed. Assistant state’s attorney Mark Kaylan Beard has prosecuted the case so far.
John Sharp, Ryan’s attorney, filed a motion Feb. 9 to rescind the license suspension, which led to an initial hearing Feb. 20. Sharp also filed a not guilty plea and requested a jury trial for his client.
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At the Feb. 20 hearing, Sangamon County Judge Sierra Senor-Moore decided to continue the statutory summary suspension hearing until March 6, which was then delayed until March 20 to give Sharp time to review the evidence released by prosecutors.
Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser filed a sworn report by Illinois State Police into the case record Feb. 13. It indicates Ryan’s license was suspended because of refusal to submit to substance testing after Robert Hoecker, the arresting officer, noticed signs of impairment in Ryan’s demeanor and speech.
The State’s Attorney’s Office also filed multiple police reports from the ISP, Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, Riverton Police Department and 911 call audio, logs and video from Sangamon County Dispatch on March 5.
Ryan made his first appearance in traffic court March 16. While Illinois Times and Channel 20 were initially granted permission for media coverage in the courtroom when Judge Braud was scheduled to hear the case, Senor-Moore ended up being the presiding judge. When the hearing began, she told the photographer and cameraman they would not be allowed to remain in the courtroom.
Braud granted Ryan pretrial release the day after his arrest. During that hearing, Braud did not mandate an alcohol and drug evaluation that prosecutors argued is typically required for pretrial release following a DUI charge. However, Braud ordered Ryan to wear an ankle monitor that tracks any alcohol, marijuana, or illegal drugs in the body.
Ryan has been with the Leland Grove Police Department for more than 25 years, according to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, and was hired as a full-time officer in August 1999 after about six months of part-time work.
The city of Leland Grove placed Ryan on administrative leave pending an investigation.
