Darien Man Accuses Relative Of Pulling Gun: Cops

DARIEN, IL — A Darien man arrested on a charge of theft last week later accused his relative of pulling a gun on him, an allegation that appeared to be unfounded, police said.

William J. Griffin Sr., 59, was arrested on a charge of theft. Patch obtained the full police report through a public records request.

According to the report, Griffin appeared to be antagonizing his neighbor in the 1500 block of Darien Lake Drive.

On the afternoon of July 28, the neighbor reported the security camera on her garage was stolen and that Griffin was on video threatening to remove it, police said. She had a live feed from the camera, which showed it was in a carpeted type of area.

An officer spoke with Griffin, who was sitting on a chair in his driveway drinking a beer, according to the report. He said he did not see or hear anything that happened at the neighbor's house. They live in a duplex.

When the officer asked Griffin about his statement on video, he got mad and told the police to "get the f--- off" his property, the report said. The officer could see a rolled-up carpet in the garage with a container on top of it and suspected it was the location of the security camera.

The police left, but were called back about an hour later. The neighbor said Griffin was drilling in the wall and that she believed he was trying to damage a water pipe connected to her home, according to the report.

Griffin invited an officer in, saying he was trying to fix his drywall because of water damage in the past. An officer could see the wall had a hole, exposing a copper water pipe, which Griffin claimed to be fixing because of a leak, police said. The officer could not see any leak. Griffin then told the officer to leave the house.

When the officer went to speak with the neighbor, he could see Griffin grabbing his water hose and letting water run onto the carpet in his garage. Griffin said the carpet had been damaged because of a previous leak. Griffin then invited the officer to take a look. The officer did and noticed the security camera on the ground next to the carpet, according to the report. The serial number showed that it was the neighbor's, police said.

Griffin was taken to the police station and then released. A relative picked him up. Minutes later, about 6:30 p.m., police were called to Griffin's house because he had thrown a grill at a car, the report said. While en route, Griffin called 911 to say his relative pulled out a gun and left in a Dodge Avenger.

Officers found the Dodge Avenger. It was driven by the relative's girlfriend, with his relative in the car. The couple gave consent to a police search. Officers did not find a gun.

The Avenger had a long scratch on the rear passenger side, caused by the grill, police said. The couple declined to file a complaint.

When an officer spoke with Griffin, he became uncooperative, the report said. He said he threw the grill because his relative pulled a gun. When an officer said police could find no gun, Griffin yelled for the officer to leave his property, police said. The officer left.