Ex-Cop from Romeoville Pleads Guilty to Stealing from Police Charity

A Woodridge ex-cop charged with stealing $30,000 from fundraisers for families of police officers killed in the line of duty has plead guilty. 

Scott Webb, 40, of the 1700 block of Rebecca Drive, Romeoville, entered his plea in DuPage County court Thursday.

Webb was a 10-year veteran of the , according to Kate Croteau, management analyst for the Woodridge Police Department. He resigned from the department last March. 

Webb was indicted last May  on two counts of theft and was sought on a $250,000 bail arrest warrant.

Officials said that in 2009 and 2010, the Illinois chapter Concerns of Police Survivors did not receive donations following two bar crawls Webb organized, called "Crawlin' for the Fallen."

C.O.P.S. hosts support meetings and organizes retreats and camps for kids, teens and spouses of those who have died. C.O.P.S. also sends families to National Police Week in Washington D.C. to see their loved one honored and put on the National Law Enforcement Memorial.  

Grand jury records indicated two large deposits were made to Webb's personal bank account following the 2009 and 2010 events. These deposits were separate from payroll deposits from the , Assistant State's Attorney Helen Kapas said.

In 2009, the amount deposited was $11,283. In 2010, the amount was $5,707. In total, more than $30,000 was taken, Kapas said. 

Webb's attorney told prosecutors Webb would turn himself in on May 24, 2011, at 3 p.m. He never did. 

Kapas said he instead went to say goodbye to his sister, Dawn Ferralez. He gave her $2,000, asked her to sell his possessions and write down her phone number and address. Ferralez insists her brother told her he would turn himself in and gave her the money to buy a larger care to care for her children and grandchildren.

Later that day, Webb withdrew $16,500 from his bank account, Kapas said. 

Five months later,  living under the alias "Jeff Scott Waits" in an apartment with a loaded handgun and almost $6,000 in cash. His car was concealed in a shed with D.C. plates covering the Illinois registered ones.

Webb's sister  since his disappearance in May 2011. She said there must be an explanation for the large deposits to his account and she doubts the bar crawls could have generated $30,000 in profit. 

Kapas requested in October the bail for Webb be increased from $250,000 to $2 million. Webb posed a "substantial risk" for violating bail requirements and fleeing the jurisdiction, she said. Webb's bail was increased to $750,000. 

Sentencing is scheduled for May 24. Webb faces 3 to 7 years in prison, a $25,000 fine or up to four years of probation.