Attorney: George Ryan Broke No Rules In Weekend Trip To Restaurant
CHICAGO (CBS) -- George Ryan's lawyer said Tuesday that the former governor did nothing wrong when he went out to dinner with family and a few friends on Sunday, despite being on home confinement through early July.
Ryan was released from prison on Jan. 29, but was placed on home confinement until his sentence is completed on July 4.
However, Ryan reportedly was spotted having dinner with his family on Sunday at a restaurant in Frankfort, about 30 miles from his house in Kankakee.
Ryan Spotted At Suburban Restaurant
His attorney, fellow former Gov. Jim Thompson, told WBBM Newsradio's Regine Schlesinger the terms of Ryan's home confinement allow him to leave the house on weekends, with permission.
"The notion that he is somehow getting special privileges is crazy," Thompson said.
He said the rules are clear for a low-risk prisoner like Ryan.
"On the weekends, you are allowed six hours on Saturday, or six hours on Sunday, with two hours additional for church, as long as you tell the Bureau of Prisons ahead of time where you're going," Thompson said.
The rules for weekend leaves also require anyone on home confinement to go to a public place, not someone's home, and not a bar or tavern.
Thompson said Ryan has followed every rule since he went to prison in November 2007, "never breaking one while he was in custody, and he's not breaking any rules now."
Ryan can only leave his house with permission from the Bureau of Prisons, and is under curfew until his sentence is complete.
