Manchester Police Officer Arrested Friday Later Found Dead

MANCHESTER, CT — A Manchester police officer who had been put on leave and was facing criminal charges amid accusations of illicit behavior with a child while off duty, was found dead shortly after being served a warrant Friday.

On Friday morning, police served an arrest warrant for Ryan Moan, a sergeant with the Manchester Police Department who had been employed by the MPD since February 2017, most recently as a school resource officer, according to a news release.

Later in the day, a passerby found Moan's body at a boat launch at Bolton Lake in Vernon, police said.

According to Vernon police, officers responded to the discovery at 1:43 p.m. at the boat launch off of Hatch Hill Road. Vernon Police located a man in a vehicle suffering from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The man was pronounced dead at the scene and later identified as Moan, according to a news release.

There was never a threat to the public, and Vernon police said they will be working with the Office of the State Medical Examiner to determine the official cause of death.

Moan, 33, lived in Coventry, police said.

Moan had been charged with risk of injury/impairing the morals of a child, enticing a minor by computer, misrepresentation of age to entice a minor and evidence tampering, according to a news release.

The warrant had been sealed by Manchester Superior Court and police did not elaborate on the charges, so very few details were available. Moan had posted a $50,000 non-surety bond and was scheduled to be arraigned on Jan. 3. The charges were not related to Moan "acting in his capacity as a police officer," and the "victim" in the case is not a Manchester student or resident, police said.

Manchester Town Manager Steve Stephanou and Manchester Police Chief William Darby released a joint statement earlier on Friday, saying the Town of Manchester and Manchester Police Department were "shocked, outraged, and disturbed" by the allegations.

Support systems were to be set up in the school system, they said.

Vernon police said anyone on the boat launch with information is asked to contact them at 860-872-9126.