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Ryan's Hometown Reacts Quietly To Conviction

KANKAKEE, Ill. (AP) ― As news that former Gov. George Ryan was convicted of all counts in his federal corruption trial hit Monday, diners at a restaurant in his hometown barely looked up from their lunch.

"I thought they might find him guilty of some, but I never expected it to be all counts," said Rhonda Bouchard, a manager of a local business, who watched the announcement of the verdict on TV at The Landing Bar and Grill in Kankakee.

Ryan, 72, and his co-defendant Larry Warner, 67, were convicted of racketeering conspiracy, mail fraud and other charges in the six-month trial on the state's biggest political corruption scandal in decades.

Even as the local newspaper scurried to put out a special edition with the word "GUILTY" in huge letters in news racks, at The Landing there was virtually no reaction from customers.

Part of the reason for the response -- or lack of response -- is that for all the headlines the story has made, some people here simply have not paid all that much attention to the trial that was about 50 miles away in Chicago.

Loree Ashmore, a 41-year-old bartender at restaurant, said about the only time she paid attention to the trial was when people at the bar talked about it.

"I thought he'd be found innocent, actually,"' said Ashmore, acknowledging that her opinion was based on the conversations of customers.

But some residents like Barb Freitag were furious Ryan was convicted.

"I'm very angry, I'm angry at the system," said Freitag, who lives about a block from Ryan in a stately neighborhood near the Kankakee River. "I feel really bad (for) a man who dedicated his whole life to doing for others and this is the thanks he got for it."

Others questioned the fairness of the trial.

"No, I don't think he's gotten a fair shake at all," said Jason Soucie, a 33-year-old local financial adviser who said he's known the Ryan family for years and doesn't believe Ryan did anything illegal.

Bouchard also wondered about the fairness of the verdict, particularly since it was handed down after two jurors were dismissed, forcing the jury to start deliberations all over again.

"I think with the chaos of the jury and everything, you wonder whether they just threw up their hands and said, 'Let's get this over with,"' she said.

And some believe that even though the verdict has been rendered, the case is a long way from being over.

"I think he's (Ryan) lucky he has the grounds for a built-in appeal with what went on," said Mike Wolfsmith, a 37-year old salesman, who was having lunch at The Landing.

(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)