Police arrest Chicago man following single-vehicle crash with child on board

A Chicago man and convicted murderer is due in court Tuesday after police say he crashed into a pole, causing his vehicle to catch on fire, while driving with a child who was not in a car seat.

An Aug. 12 crash near North Virginia Road in Crystal Lake led to the arrest of Ledell T. Rice, of the 5000 block of West Washington Street, court records show.

Rice is charged with child endangerment and violating an order of protection. In addition to driving without a license or insurance, Rice is accused of having contact with a woman and child who previously filed an order of protection against him.

In Illinois, violating an order of protection is a felony that carries a one- to three-year prison sentence. Rice also has a prior first-degree murder conviction stemming from a 1997 case that occurred outside of McHenry County, court records show.

According to a three-count criminal complaint, Rice was driving near the 100 block of North Virginia Road at 12:04 a.m. Wednesday when he veered off the road. The vehicle then crashed into a metal pole, a concrete base and a wooden fence, Crystal Lake Deputy Police Chief Thomas Kotlowski said. The crash caused the vehicle to catch fire, but no injuries were reported.

"Mr. Rice denied driving, however also claimed the vehicle lost power prior to the crash, which caused the crash," Kotlowski said. "The officer listed the contributing factors to the crash as 'driver skill/knowledge/experience' and 'had been drinking.'"

Rice remained at the McHenry County Jail Monday morning on a $20,000 bond. He would need to post $2,000 bail to secure his release, but indicated on a financial affidavit that he was unemployed. A booking photo of Rice was not immediately available.

He is scheduled to make a court appearance with a McHenry County public defender for a bond hearing Tuesday morning.