Schaumburg cop who kept resident's gun gets probation

 

A Schaumburg police officer was sentenced in Cook County court today to 18 months probation after he admitted he kept a handgun that two village residents had turned into the police department for safe disposal.
Bryan Woodyard, 39, of the 7400 block of Dixon Street in Schaumburg pleaded guilty to official misconduct during a hearing at the Criminal Courts Building. He had faced up to five years in prison for the class 3 felony.
Authorities said Woodyard was working on the department’s front desk in April when he accepted a .22 caliber revolver from the residents who wanted to dispose of it.  Woodyard at first tried to buy the gun but the residents insisted it be destroyed, authorities said.
Several days later, one of the residents told Woodyard’s superiors she was uncomfortable with the way the officer had handled the situation, authorities said.
Police began an investigation and found that Woodyard had not reported the incident and kept the handgun for personal use, authorities said. A seven-year veteran of the department, Woodyard subsequently resigned and was arrested in June.

Woodyard was the fourth Schaumburg police officer to resign this year for alleged misconduct.  Three other former officers are awaiting trial on charges they kept cash and sold narcotics they had seized from drug dealers.