Markham Park District executive director catches heat for daughter's helicopter prom send-off
Year after year, high school proms become more over the top, from elaborate prom-posals to full-on photoshoots.
One prom arrival in Markham, Illinois, showed that it's not just a dress, dance, and a limo ride anymore.
Markham police body cam captured the moment officers rushed to Roesner Park for a helicopter behind the fieldhouse. They quickly talked to the pilot, asking if there was any registration for the helicopter.
The chopper landed for a prom send-off for Markham Park's executive director, Quintina Brown's daughter.
Brown told officers the use of the helicopter was OK'd by the park board president, Lakeya Webb, who told police that the helicopter had nothing to do with the park district.
The helicopter landed next to homes and on park property.
"Let me say this. There was never any communication from the park district," said village manager Derrick Champion.
He says that's the biggest problem because the safety of everyone in the park was compromised.
"We would've put our residents on notice, right? We have to think safety first. We sent out flyers," he said.
However, Brown on scene provided officers with a notice, signed by her, to authorize the landing, to which police say the park district can't do. At one point, police say brown expected the helicopter to fly her daughter over the park, but the officer quickly grounded that idea.
But Markham's city attorney, Burt Burleson, is upset.
"Did the board approve it? Who paid for it?" he asked.
Officers gave Brown and the pilot citations for disorderly conduct and unauthorized landing on public property, but the city attorney says this placed Markham and its residents in potential legal woes.
"Both the park district and the city would have been sued if something, god forbid, had happened, and it didn't," Burleson said.
Brown faces a fine of just under $200. She told CBS News Chicago that she didn't think she needed to contact the city. When asked if she thought it wasn't a conflict of interest to approve the helicopter landing for her own child, she said she didn't see this as a conflict at all.
The city's legal team is looking to see if there are any additional fines they can tack on to her.