Former Orland Hills Cop Facing 15 years In Prison For Fatal DUI
ORLAND HILLS, Ill. (STMW) -- A former part-time Orland Hills police officer is facing up to 15 years in prison for a drunken-driving crash that killed a 20-year-old Homewood man.
Robert C. Caputo, 62, pleaded guilty Friday to a felony charge of aggravated driving under the influence for a fiery 2010 crash on Interstate 80 near New Lenox.
Caputo, who worked for the police department in the 1990s, faces three to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced June 25 by Will County Judge Edward Burmila.
DaVon Pitts' Chevrolet Malibu got a flat tire when he was headed home from work Sept. 12, 2010. He had parked on the left shoulder of eastbound I-80, and was on his cell phone when his vehicle was hit about 4:20 p.m. by a pickup truck driven by Caputo, Assistant State's Attorney Fred Harvey said.
The impact forced Pitts' car into the right shoulder ditch, where it burst into flames, Harvey said.
Caputo's truck went airborne over the concrete median and hit an oncoming vehicle, he said.
Pitts, who was working two part-time jobs and taking classes at Prairie State College, was identified later that night by his dental records, Harvey said.
As Harvey read the facts of the crash, Pitts' mother, Regina Pitts, audibly sobbed.
She and other members of Pitts' family declined to comment on Caputo's plea.
"This is certainly a tragic accident, which Mr. Caputo takes full responsibility for," said attorney Paul Napolski, who represents Caputo with Brian Telander and Brad Telander.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2013. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
