Hanover Park mom, son admit guilt in deadly teen-drinking party

A Hanover Park mother and son may face up to one year in jail for hosting an underage drinking party that led to a teenager's accidental drowning.

Joanne Zagone, 51, and her 22-year-old son, Kenneth Pomella, pleaded guilty Monday to contributing to the delinquency of a minor. They will be sentenced Dec. 20.

Pomella also admitted guilt to endangering the life of a minor and unlawful delivery of alcohol to a minor for the party on June 17, 2005. Some 40 to 60 people attended the gathering, including 16-year-old Jon Petit of Carol Stream.

Petit spent that evening attending a festival at Carol Stream's Ross Ferraro Town Center. It was there he is believed to have learned of a party on the 700 block of Daybreak Lane near Mitchell Lakes Park.

Prosecutors said Kenneth Pomella was celebrating his graduation from DeVry University. His mother was chaperoning the party.

Petit, a Glenbard North High School sophomore, never made it home. Witnesses last saw him near a pond in the park after he was kicked out for roughhousing.

His mother, Yvonne Petit, reported her son missing the next morning, prompting a frantic, 48-hour search. As divers combed the waters for clues, loved ones posted signs of the missing teen and told their story before news cameras.

Four days later, on July 21, 2005, divers found his body near the pond's north edge. Jon had a blood-alcohol level of .208, more than twice the legal threshold for those 21 and older.

Yvonne Petit said Monday it's been a difficult two years, but she plans to be in court Dec. 20 to tell DuPage Associate Judge Thomas Riggs of the impact of losing her son.

"Obviously, we're hoping they do get some jail time and be held accountable," she said. "I don't think you should be allowed to use your home as a safe haven for 60 underage drinkers and then throw them out like they're trash."