36 Rifles, 20 Handguns Found in Home of Crystal Lake Attorney After DUI Arrest: Police

A Crystal Lake attorney who did not have a valid gun license got in trouble with the law this past week when authorities turned up dozens of rifles and handguns, and thousands of rounds of ammunition, during a search of his home.

The Crystal Lake Police Department began to investigate Donald F. Franz, 50, of 358 Dartmoor Court in Crystal Lake, after receiving a report of an intoxicated driver in the 1 to 100 block of North Williams Street in Crystal Lake at about 10:20 p.m. on Jan. 19. When they located Franz, he became uncooperative and combative with police and began resisting arrest, police said.

He was taken into custody and during his arrest, police found a loaded firearm. Additional rounds of assorted firearm ammunition were located within his vehicle. Investigators obtained an arrest warrant to search Franz’s house and vehicle and on Friday evening, executed a search of his home.

Items seized during the search warrant included 36 high-powered rifles, assault rifles and shotguns; 20 assorted handguns; and thousands of rounds of firearm ammunition.

Mr. Franz was charged with aggravated DUI-alcohol, a class 4 felony; unlawful possession of a suspended driver’s license, a class A misdemeanor; aggravated battery to a police officer, a class 2 felony; aggravated resisting a police officer, a class 4 felony; unlawful possession of a firearm without requisite firearm owner identification card (FOID), a class 4 felony; unlawful possession of firearm ammunition without requisite FOID card, a class A misdemeanor; unlawful possession of a revoked concealed carry license (CCL), a Class misdemeanor; and carrying a concealed firearm while under the influence, a class A misdemeanor.
Franz was later confined at the McHenry County Jail, where his bond was set at $50,000.

The Crystal Lake Police Department is continuing to investigate. Additional charges are expected.