Although Kathie LaFond claims that police negligently failed to stop her intoxicated boyfriend from driving her 5-year-old son home after she was arrested for driving without a license, the Southtown Star reported that police records suggest otherwise.
Her boyfriend, Cecil Conner Jr., lost control of the car and wrapped it around a tree, which resulted in her son's death. He was cited for an aggravated DUI.
Kathie LaFond sued the Chicago Heights Police Dept. for negligence related to her son's death. She claims to have told police that Cecil Conner was drunk. Her attorney, Mark Horwitz, said he believes the department is engaged in a cover-up after allegedly handing the keys to her intoxicated boyfriend:
"We have something on the tape that says, 'We're sitting in a room right now and [Conner] stinks of alcohol.' They know something's going to happen."
Cecil Conner, on the advice of his Chicago DUI attorney, pleaded not guilty to the charges before him.
But according to crash reports and police audio recordings obtained by the newspaper, Kathie LaFond actually told detective Peter Fajman to let him drive:
"She did not tell the officer Cecil had been drinking."
Police officials reiterated their assertion that she did not indicate that he was drunk and they claim there were no signs that he was over the limit. But Steger Sgt. Gerald Ruff, who was the first to arrive at the scene of the crash, said Cecil Conner couldn't say what his own address was, smelled of alcohol and fell over backwards.
In his own estimation, Cecil Conner was "at least twice if not triple the limit," with regard to his blood-alcohol content. "You can just smell how strong the alcohol is there," he added.
The new revelations cast a heavy shadow of doubt on the Chicago Heights Police Dept.'s story of what happened, even as their own reports dispute Kathie LaFond's account.
Related Resources:
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Child Killed in DUI Crash; Chicago Heights Police Sued (FindLaw's Injured Blog)
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Call a Chicago DUI Lawyer (FindLaw)
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'Prison Break' Actor Settles Lawsuit Over Fatal DUI Crash (FindLaw's Injured Blog)
