The 500 block of Downing Street in Elburn. (CREDIT: Google Maps)

A Waterman man has been charged with attempted murder using an unusual weapon: the natural gas line of an Elburn home.

Frank E. Ryan

According to an Elburn Police Department news release, officers were dispatched at around 2:26 a.m. Sunday, Jan, 19, to the report of a suspicious incident at a home in the 500 block of Downing Street.

Upon arrival, officers met with man who said he awoke to a loud hissing noise and the strong odor of natural gas inside his residence.

The resident told police he realized that natural gas was leaking inside of his home and called 911.

Officers’ initial investigation determined that someone had tampered with the natural gas supply line for the residence and directed a flow of natural gas directly into the residence.

Elburn & Countryside Fire Protection District also responded to the scene. Nicor was contacted and responded to shut off the gas and make repairs.

The 500 block of Downing Street. (CREDIT: Google Maps)

During the course of the subsequent investigation, police gathered evidence and identified the suspect as 33-year-old Frank E. Ryan of Waterman.

The Kane County States Attorney’s Office approved felony charges of Attempted Murder (two counts) and Felony Criminal Damage to Property. Ryan also was charged with two counts of Reckless Conduct and two counts of Battery.

Ryan was taken into custody on Friday, Jan. 24, and is being held at the Kane County Jail, police said.

The Elburn Police Department investigation was assisted by law enforcers from the Kane County Major Crimes Task Force, the Aurora Police Department, the Waterman Police Department, and the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office.

The investigation is ongoing.

The charges against Ryan are not proof of guilt. He is entitled to a fair trial at which it is the burden of the state to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

SOURCE: Elburn Police Department news release