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, who allegedly hid the weapon outside the public library before police recovered it from a nearby home.

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. That allegedly 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 assigned to the Patrol Unit, Deputy Chief of Police Thomas Kotlowski said, and has been with the department since 2016.

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.

“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,” according to the document.

According to Alfano’s employment records, also obtained through a FOIA request, he has received two oral reprimands in recent years: one in 2024 for turning off his cameras while in pursuit of a speeding dirt bike and another in January for failing to work a scheduled overtime shift in December 2024.

Over the years, the department has received multiple letters from neighboring police agencies praising Alfano and his work ethic, according to his records.

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, and a criminal complaint against him stated the weapon had allegedly 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.

Crystal Lake police followed up in a news release Sept. 30 by stating it was “inaccurate” to report that the weapon was allegedly retrieved from library property, although police had signed the criminal complaint stating the gun had been concealed on library grounds.

Two days later, a follow-up release by police reconfirmed that the weapon was, in fact, allegedly stashed “for a few hours” on the grounds of the library, which is within 1,000 feet of Husmann Elementary School. But police clarified that they were not aware of that until after they located the weapon and Walker in a nearby home, and he allegedly told authorities he’d stashed the weapon outside the library on Sept. 21.

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.”

The release also stated: “I hope this information helps put people at ease.”

It also was in that release that police first revealed the weapon belonged to an officer who had misplaced it. In the news release, police said the officer, who was not then named, had “placed his personal rifle on the trunk of his vehicle in the garage” of his home near Crystal Lake on Sept. 21 when a family member unknowingly drove the car with the gun, which was in a case, still on top of the trunk.“

Black admitted to clerical errors made on the criminal complaint filed at the McHenry County Courthouse by detectives that led to further confusion.

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.