A grieving mother is adamant she told police officers her boyfriend was drunk less than an hour before he wrapped the Chevy Cavalier around a tree, killing her 5-year-old son.
Kathie LaFond said her driver's license was likely suspended in Arizona because of parking tickets but wasn't aware of that when she was pulled over in Chicago Heights on May 10. Officers arrested her and turned the keys over to her boyfriend, Cecil Conner.
"As I was getting out of the car, I told them that my son was sleeping in the back seat and that I wanted to take my baby home," she said through tears Tuesday. "I told them that Cecil was drinking."
But Chicago Heights police say they couldn't tell that Conner was impaired when they let him drive off. Nor could Steger police, who responded to the crash at Steger Road and Carpenter Street shortly afterward.
It was later reported that Conner had a blood alcohol concentration more than three times the legal limit and had marijuana in his system at the time of the crash. He's been charged with reckless homicide.
LaFond's son, Michael Langford, never stood a chance, police said. He was strapped into a booster seat at the time of the accident.
LaFond said last week that she plans to sue the Chicago Heights police department.
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