Crime & Safety

Steger Man Says Cop Made Him Drive Child to His Death

Cecil Conner claims a police officer ordered him to take the wheel and drive off with a child in the back seat even though he was too drunk to walk.

The Steger man who slammed his car into a tree in a wreck that killed a young boy swore that a cop commanded him to take the wheel and drive away even though he was too drunk to walk.

Not only that, but Cecil Conner testified Friday that he feared  Chicago Heights Police Officer Chris Felicetti would arrest him if he didn't drive away with his girlfriend's 5-year-old son asleep in the back seat.

"I followed his direct order," Conner said, admitting he is unsure what charge Felicetti would have hit him with if he refused to drive drunk.

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But Conner did not refuse and drove away, only to ram his 1997 Chevy Cavalier into tree a short time later in the town of Steger.

The boy in the back seat, Michael Langford, the son of Conner's then-girlfriend Kathie LaFond, was killed in the crash. Tests showed Conner's blood-alcohol content was three times the legal limit of .08 percent.

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LaFond was originally driving in the early hours of May 10 with Conner in the passenger seat and her son sleeping in the back when Felicetti pulled them over and arrested her for not having a valid license.

Felicetti turned the car over to Conner, who claims he was so inebriated after drinking at a friend's house that he could not walk without assistance. LaFond, who also said Conner was drunk, was herself sober when she was arrested.

Felicetti testified that he saw no indication that Conner was drunk. He denied ordering Conner to get behind the wheel and drive away, and says he turned the car over to him instead of calling to have it towed and impounded.

Felicetti, along with Conner and the the town of Chicago Heights, is the subject of a lawsuit LaFond filed within two days of her son dying. LaFond testified on Thursday that she was unaware that she stands to profit from the lawsuit, but Burmilla removed her from the witness stand and ordered Tomczak to get her to tell the truth about her understanding of the legal action.

LaFond said she repeatedly warned Felicetti that Conner was drunk and that she was his "designated driver." Felicetti said she never told him this.

LaFond also testified on Thursday that she did not discuss her arrest while at St. James Hospital with her family in the aftermath of the crash. But a witness called by prosecutors contradicted her.

Kevin Kutta, a security supervisor at St. James, said LaFond and Michael's unidentified godmother stayed behind when other relatives stepped away to smoke.

"The rest of her family went outside for a cigarette smoke," Kutta said. "And she looked over and she said, 'I need to tell you something. I was pulled over by the police and arrested, and I asked the police to please let Cecil take the baby home. That's how he got the keys. That's how he got the car. That's how he got the baby.'"

Kutta said he was prompted to tell this to the police after he saw LaFond on the television news blaming a Chicago Heights police officer for her son's death.

Conner took the stand in his own defense. Judge Edward Burmilla warned him the day before that he had a constitutional right to refuse to testify.

Conner has cleaned up for his court apperance, with the collar of his white dress shirt nearly hiding his neck tattoo.

During his testimony he said that after Felicetti let him drive away, he was lost in Chicago Heights, which is the town he grew up in. Conner also said that even though he knew he was too drunk to drive, and was using his girlfriend's cell phone while driving to call a friend, he did not think to pull over and call a cab because he did not know the number for a taxi service.

Burmilla adjourned for the holiday weekend and scheduled closing arguments for Tuesday morning.


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