Aug 21, 2007 7:22 pm US/Central
Ryan Remains Silent On New Court Rulings
Kankakee Residents Say He Should Do Time
by Joanie Lum
KANKAKEE, Ill. (CBS) ―
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Former Governor George Ryan's son answered the door at the family home and said his father was unavailable to comment on a court ruling upholding his conviction.
CBS
Former Governor George Ryan stayed secluded in his Kankakee home on Tuesday after a federal appeals court upheld his conviction on corruption charges.
His son, Homer, answered the door at the family home and told the media his father was not available to comment.
But the news is a hot topic on the streets of his community, and as CBS 2's Joanie Lum reports, reaction of his neighbors is mixed.
Residents are well aware of George Ryan's long career in public service and the federal corruption charges that brought him down.
"Sorry to see that. He is an old guy. Sad to see him go, but did the crime, gotta do the time," J.T. Yohnka said.
"Regardless of what he's done for the city, he still did wrong," Michael Springer added.
News spread quickly in his neighborhood, that the former governor might soon go to jail for his conviction.
Residents say even though Ryan held the state's highest office and reversed the state's death penalty in 2000, they don't believe he deserved any special treatment.
"I think it sends a message to people that just because you're in power, you can break the law. I don't think he should be allowed to do that no matter who you are," Adrienne Stokes said.
"If you've done something wrong, you should pay for it just like anybody else no matter what your position is in life. You should pay for what you've done," Springer said.
Still, there's a lot of support for the man who won statewide office five times. Some say George Ryan merely operated the way other politicians did only he got caught.
The 73-year-old former governor had been under a court order to report to prison within 72 hours of the failure of his appeal. But late Tuesday, the appeals court relented and granted a stay pending a new appeal.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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