Bond set at $50K for father of Highland Park, Illinois, July 4 shooting suspect

CHICAGO — A decide on Saturday set bond at $50,000 for the daddy of an Illinois man charged with killing seven folks at a July 4 parade who’s accused of serving to his son get a gun license years earlier than the taking pictures on a suburban Chicago primary avenue.

Robert Crimo Jr., 58, regarded somber and drained in his first look earlier than a decide since voluntarily surrendering to police Friday. His lawyer, George M. Gomez, informed the decide Saturday that the daddy of three would have the ability to pay the required bond quantity for his launch.

Crimo, a uncommon case of a mum or dad charged after a toddler is accused in a mass taking pictures, faces seven felony counts of reckless conduct — one rely for every particular person fatally shot through the summertime parade. Every rely carries a most six-year jail time period.

At a short 10-minute listening to, carried out through video hyperlink, Lake County Choose Jacquelyn Melius mentioned she accepted an settlement between Crimo’s lawyer and prosecutors that bond be set at $50,000, which was decrease than the $500,000 bond that might have been imposed.

Gomez informed the decide earlier than she set bond that his consumer had been a enterprise proprietor for over 30 years and had lifelong ties to the group of Highland Park, the place the mass taking pictures occurred over the summer time. Prosecutors didn’t oppose Crimo’s launch on bond.

“Mr. Crimo will not be a hazard to the group. He isn’t a flight threat,” Gomez mentioned, including that Crimo had cooperated totally with authorities because the taking pictures.

Among the many circumstances of his launch, the decide informed Crimo, was that he flip in any gun licenses, in addition to any weapons at his residence, inside 24 hours of the listening to. Crimo presently lives in Highwood, a metropolis that borders Highland Park.

Requested by the decide if he may hear the proceedings by way of his video hyperlink, Crimo mentioned that he may — however he in any other case made no statements to the court docket.

Choose Melius set his subsequent listening to for Jan. 12.

Lake County State’s Legal professional Eric Rinehart mentioned Friday that costs towards the daddy have been based mostly on Crimo sponsoring his son’s utility for a gun license in December 2019. His son was 19 years outdated on the time.

“Dad and mom and guardians are in one of the best place to determine whether or not their youngsters ought to have a weapon,” Rinehart mentioned. “On this case, the system failed when Robert Crimo Jr. sponsored his son. He knew what he knew and he signed the shape anyway.”

Authorities have beforehand mentioned the accused shooter, Robert Crimo III, tried suicide by machete in April 2019 and in September 2019 was accused by a member of the family of creating threats to “kill everybody.”

These reviews got here months earlier than Crimo Jr. sponsored his son’s utility.

Gomez, the Chicago-area lawyer, known as the costs towards the daddy “baseless and unprecedented” in a written assertion on Friday.

“This determination ought to alarm each single mum or dad in the USA of America who in response to the Lake County State’s Legal professional is aware of precisely what’s going on with their 19-year-old grownup kids and may be held criminally accountable for actions taken practically three years later,” Gomez mentioned.

Gomez mentioned his consumer “continues to sympathize and really feel horrible for the people and households who have been injured and misplaced family members.” However the lawyer known as the costs “politically motivated and a distraction from the actual change that should occur on this nation.”

A grand jury in July indicted Robert Crimo III on 21 first-degree homicide counts, 48 counts of tried homicide and 48 counts of aggravated battery, representing the seven folks killed and dozens wounded within the assault on a beloved vacation occasion in Highland Park.

Authorized specialists have mentioned it is uncommon for an accused shooter’s mum or dad or guardian to face costs — partially as a result of it is troublesome to show such costs.

In a single notable exception, a Michigan prosecutor final 12 months filed involuntary manslaughter costs towards the mother and father of a teen accused of fatally taking pictures 4 college students at his highschool. A January trial date in that case has been delayed whereas the state appeals court docket considers an enchantment by the mother and father.

Authorities have beforehand mentioned that Illinois State Police reviewed Crimo III’s December 2019 gun license utility and located no cause to disclaim it as a result of he had no arrests, no felony report, no severe psychological well being issues, no orders of safety and no different habits that might disqualify him.

However following the parade taking pictures, public information confirmed that Crimo III tried suicide by machete in April 2019, in response to a police report obtained by The Related Press that famous a “historical past of makes an attempt.”

In September 2019, police acquired a report from a member of the family that Crimo III had a set of knives and had threatened to “kill everybody.”

Each Crimo III and his mom disputed the specter of violence on the time. Police have mentioned father Robert Crimo Jr. later informed investigators the knives belonged to him, and authorities returned them.

Robert Crimo Jr. has proven up at a number of pretrial hearings for his son this 12 months, nodding in greeting when his son entered the courtroom shackled and flanked by guards. The daddy has been a well-recognized face round Highland Park, the place he was as soon as a mayoral candidate and was well-known for working comfort shops.

In media interviews after the taking pictures, Robert Crimo Jr. had mentioned he didn’t anticipate to face costs and didn’t imagine he did something fallacious by serving to his son get a gun license by way of the state’s established course of.