Hunter
05/04/24
An Iowa City teenager on house arrest for allegedly drag racing and causing a fatal crash last May will not be furloughed so that he can attend prom.
18-year-old Kesean Ford asked a judge for the reprieve during a hearing on Thursday so that he could attend West High’s prom this weekend. Ford is not a student at the school.
The Gazette reports Johnson County Sheriff’s Deputy Rob Schuerer testified during the hearing that the principal at West High School told him that Ford “wasn’t welcomed” at the school’s prom. Schuerer said West High also has a preregistration requirement for prom, which the principal told him Ford did not submit.
Ford’s pretrial release conditions include GPS monitoring and being on house arrest. He is allowed to go to work, medical appointments and court proceedings. He reportedly didn’t ask or notify the sheriff’s office, which supervises pretrial release, about wanting to attend the event at Coralville’s Hyatt Regency Hotel. Ford’s lawyer said Ford failed to do so because he didn’t know it was required.
The teen’s original request was for a 24-hour furlough starting at noon Saturday; it was modified to 6-11pm Saturday.
The judge denied the request, adding his lack of preparation and planning didn’t inspire confidence.
Ford and now 18-year-old Elijah Seals are charged with joint criminal conduct of involuntary manslaughter from the May 27th event, which killed 22-year-old Jennifer Russell of Waterloo in what was categorized as a “drag racing” incident. The two are to be tried in adult court.
