Authorities announced today that a former McHenry County police officer, Ryszard Kopacz, of Wauconda, faces new felony charges for selling drugs while on duty. Kopacz, 30, was arrested days after beginning his job with the Richmond Police Department. He was charged with official misconduct, burglary, and possession of stolen guns.
When Kopacz was first charged in July, he was accused of going door to door in his police uniform, soliciting prescription drugs from elderly residents. Kopacz was also charged with burglarizing the Hebron Police Department, his previous employer, and possessing two stolen rifles.
As of today, Kopacz can add five additional counts of official misconduct to the list. He is accused of delivering marijuana on four separate occasions, between February and June, to an informant while “acting in his official capacity” as a Hebron police officer. He is also now charged with unlawful acquisition of a controlled substance based on the allegation that he obtained hydrocodone through “misrepresentation, deception or subterfuge.”
Kopacz is free on $4,000 bond and will be back in court on October 7.
Fired officer facing additional drug-related charges, www.chicagotribune.com, September 15, 2014
Former Hebron police officer denies new drug charges, www.nwherald.com, September, 15, 2014