A convicted felon who’s a long-time member of the privately-funded Boystown security patrol is jailed in Kane County after authorities accused him of repeatedly having sex with an underage child at his Aurora home.
CWBChicago first told you about Ronald J. Lye in 2015. That’s when we revealed that Lye was working on the Northalsted Business Alliance’s private security patrol even though he is a convicted police impersonator and the state had revoked his license to work as a security guard.
After our report, Lye received a probationary license to work security and he returned to the Halsted Street patrol operation.
Now, prosecutors in suburban Kane County say Lye met a juvenile online and repeatedly drove the alleged victim to Lye’s home for sex since April 1. Kane County officials did not reveal the victim’s age or sex.
Lye, age 49, is charged with 13 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and two counts of traveling to meet a minor. A Kane County judge ordered Lye held in lieu of $275,000 bail and ordered him to stay away from anyone under the age of 18, including relatives.
A “review”
The Northalsted Business Alliance in 2015 said it was “reviewing its hiring process” when CWBChicago revealed that Lye was not authorized to work as a security guard after he was accused of taking people’s money while posing as a police officer in Kane County in 1999.
Lye pleaded guilty to impersonating a police officer and illegal use of flashing blue lights in the case. Other charges, including armed robbery and armed violence, were dropped according to his former attorney.
Lye and a co-worker allegedly extorted money from victims they encountered while posing as police when, in fact, they were security guards for a suburban motel,
One of Lye’s alleged victims was an underage man from out-of-state who was caught drinking. The Beacon News, citing police reports, said the victim had been handcuffed and was told that he would be released in exchange for $100.
An adult who was accused by the cop impersonators of buying the 20-year-old’s beer also paid a “fine” to the guards, the paper reported.
Back on patrol
After CWBChicago’s report, Lye asked the state to re-issue his license to work as an unarmed security guard. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation agreed to give Lye a probationary permit the next year. Lye then returned to the Halsted Street patrol operation.
Photographs provided to CWBChicago this week show Lye standing backstage at a 2019 Pride Fest performance in Boystown. In the photo, Lye is armed with a handgun while wearing a security uniform.
Lye is not licensed to carry a firearm while working as a security officer, according to the IDFPR.
