Hunt hosted a memorial golf outing for Sgt. Brian Dulle in July 2011, with proceeds to benefit the officer’s widow and children. But Warren County Sheriff Larry Sims became suspicious when none of the money from the golf event was deposited into the account set up for Abbie Dulle and her children.
Dulle was killed in 2011 when he was hit while deploying stop sticks to try and halt a stolen car driven by Marcus Isreal, who is now serving 25 years to life in prison.
Judge James Flannery used words like heinous, abhorrent and dishonor as he described Hunt’s acts. The special prosecutor and Hunt’s attorney had agreed to no prison time, but Flannery said he needed to punish the former cop and send a message that stealing, especially from a charity, won’t be tolerated.
Flannery, who also presided over the Isreal trial, said it was unconscionable the Dulle family was victimized again.
“It will be their choice whether to forgive and forget,” the judge said. “I’ve already asked them once to try and forgive the perpetrator of crimes against them, I’m not willing to do that again. Once is enough.”
Abbie Dulle left the courtroom without comment. Hunt, who will report to the jail next Friday, tried to shield his face from a pack of television cameras and microphones as he left court. His attorney John Smith said his client didn’t set out to hurt anyone and he fully expected and respects Flannery’s sentencing.
“Ryan was under a lot of pressures that are personal and the fact is he did not want to let other people down,” Smith said. “He made one mistake after another. He was kicking the can down the road, hoping to make everything right eventually.”
Delaware County Prosecutor Carol O’Brien served as the special prosecutor on the case. During the sentencing hearing she read a statement by the Dulle family to Hunt.
“This case is not about the money, it’s about upholding the memory, and honor of what Brian stood for in his career,” she read. “Brian was all about doing what is right and just. What you did was not right and just in any way… You used his death to elevate your standing in the community to gain personal recognition all the while dishonoring Brian’s name.”
During the guilty plea hearing, O’Brien told the judge that Hunt hid the money in his basement rather than deposit it in a bank account and then paid some bills with it.
Eventually he did deposit $12,000 into the Dulle fund, with money he collected from another victim in the case. As part of the golf outing investigation, sheriff’s detectives discovered Hunt also swindled Southland Marketing and Development, Inc. out of Knoxville, Tenn.
Sheriff Larry Sims said he expected Hunt would be jailed because the crime impacted the entire community.
“This is a very, very emotional crime that took place, not that any other theft is less significant,” he said. “But as the judge said, and he said it best, this is the second time this family has gone though significant victimization, and in this case they were taken advantage of by someone they felt was a close friend of the family.”
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