A former Woodridge cop accused of pilfering more than $30,000 from a police charity continues to elude authorities more than two months after his indictment, officials said.Scott A. Webb, 39, has been wanted since he was charged May 23 with taking cash donations from the nonprofit Concerns of Police Survivors.
On Thursday, DuPage County state’s attorney spokesman Paul Darrah said investigators were still actively pursuing the veteran patrol officer, who quit in March before facing a formal police disciplinary hearing. “We’re implementing every possible method available to us to locate him,” Darrah said. “We’re not waiting on him to knock on our door. ”
Webb, who last lived on the 1700 block of Rebecca Drive in Romeoville, is accused of stealing from two “Crawlin’ for the Fallen” fundraisers in 2009 and 2010. The events benefitted the state and national chapters of Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS), which serves families of officers who die on the job or who are killed in the line of duty.
Webb was involved with the annual fundraisers for several years, authorities said, as a member of the Woodridge police union, which hosted them.
Mark Hannan, vice president of the charity’s Illinois chapter and special agent for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Office of Special Investigations in Lisle, said he was “very concerned” when Webb didn’t voluntarily surrender upon his indictment in May.
“There are many honorable and decent people at the Woodridge PD who have already stepped forward to continue supporting COPS, and we are always grateful for people who come to our aide,” Hannan wrote in an email. “As a law enforcement officer myself, I find these charges very disturbing because we rely on people’s compassion and goodwill. Any theft is wrong, but it is especially dishonorable in this profession.”
Authorities wouldn’t reveal specifics about their search for Webb, citing the sensitive nature of the investigation.
But Woodridge Police Chief Steve Herron encouraged members of the public to keep their eyes open.
“We certainly do request that if the public sees Scott or knows where Scott is or has heard from Scott, that they encourage him to turn himself in or contact their local police department at 911,” Herron said.
Webb, a 10-year officer, is being sought on a $250,000-bail arrest warrant. If convicted of theft over $10,000, he could be sentenced to three to seven years in prison or probation, prosecutors said.
Searching: Man could face up to 7 years in prison
