Swansea teenager charged in fatal crash; is son of Belleville cop

A 17-year-old Swansea youth, who is the son of a Belleville police officer, has been charged with reckless homicide in a fatal crash that happened on Nov. 27.

William H. Cook drove at a high rate of speed and struck the rear end of a vehicle occupied by Kevin Patterson in a way that was likely to cause death or great bodily harm, the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Patterson, 15, of Fairview Heights, was taken St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in O’Fallon where he died. The crash occurred about 10:25 p.m. on Nov. 27 in the 2100 block of Lebanon Ave between Belleville and Shiloh.

Cook’s bond was set at $100,000, the sheriff’s office said.

St. Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly said Cook was charged as an adult and will be prosecuted as an adult.

Cook is the son of Belleville Police officer Dan Cook, the sheriff’s office said. He could not be reached for comment.

Captain Bruce Fleshren said Cook’s father being a police officer played no role in how the case was investigated.

This story was originally published December 7, 2018 at 4:49 PM.