Crystal Lake man pleads not guilty to recklessly crashing into house, permanently disabling owner

The Crystal Lake man charged with crashing his vehicle into a home, paralyzing its owner, appeared in court Friday, limping and with his arm in a black sling.

Connor C. Kirkpatrick, 27, pleaded not guilty to criminal damage to property over $100,000, a Class 2 felony, and aggravated reckless driving and reckless conduct, both Class 4 felonies.

If he is found guilty on the more serious Class 2 felony, he could be sentenced to three to seven years in prison or seven to 14 if he is found eligible for an extended term. He also could be sentenced to up to 120 hours of community service and ordered to pay the cost of damages to the home he struck, McHenry County Judge Michael Coppedge said.

Kirkpatrick’s physical injuries were suffered in the crash that occurred July 27, when the SUV he was driving plowed into the home of Angelo Pleotis, 65. The home is located near the intersection of Ballard Road and Briarwood Drive in Crystal Lake.

He is accused of driving his vehicle 96 mph in a 30 mph residential zone when he crashed into the garage and then the home, according to the indictment.

Pleotis, who was in the shower at the time of the crash, suffered collapsed lungs, broken ribs, head trauma, lacerations and spinal fractures and dislocations that caused his paralysis, his family has said.

Pleotis currently is living in a rehabilitation facility in Woodstock, and his family is trying to figure out where he will live next and how to pay for his medical expenses. The house, where he lived for about seven years, is uninhabitable, said his son Phillip Pleotis of Crystal Lake.

“It’s been pretty much a nonstop battle to make sure he gets what he needs,” his son said in a phone interview Friday.

A GoFundMe has been set up to raise funds at Angelo’s Road to Recovery.

Angelo’s brother Lou Pleotis, who had been living in the home, as well, is living with his mother in her independent living facility in Palatine, Phillip Pleotis said.

The family was able to spend some time with Angelo Pleotis in the facility on Thanksgiving and recently bought a used van with a lift for a wheelchair. They hope to use the van to bring him home for Christmas, his son said.

Kirkpatrick is due back in court Jan. 27.