Bond set at $50,000 for father of Highland Park shooting suspect
Bond was set at $50,000 Saturday for Robert Crimo Jr., the father of Robert Crimo III, who faces 117 charges for killing seven and wounding 48 people at the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park.
Judge Jacquelyn Melius reduced the bond amount from $500,000 per an agreement between Lake County prosecutors and Crimo Jr.'s defense team, ABC-7 reported.
Crimo Jr. was arrested by Highland Park police after the Lake County State's Attorney's Office on Thursday filed seven counts of felony reckless conduct against him. Prosecutors say Crimo Jr., helped his son get a firearm owner identification (FOID) card, which was a contributing cause to the seven deaths.
The bond reduction and conditions were made public during a brief virtual bond hearing Saturday morning.
Melius also ordered Crimo Jr. to surrender his FOID card, conceal and carry license and any dangerous weapons within 24 hours of his release, ABC reported. Crimo Jr., will have a curfew and can't have drugs, alcohol or any weapons, according to the conditions of the agreement.
“Their premise in this case is practically making parents be fortunetellers to actions that possibly occurred three years (later),” said George Gomez, who is representing Crimo Jr., ABC-7 reported.
The charges were announced Friday at a news conference by Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart.
Rinehart said parents and guardians are the first line of defense and are in the best position to decide whether their teenager should have a weapon. Rinehart said the reckless charges stem from specific information Crimo Jr., knew about his son when sponsoring him for the FOID card.
Because he was under 21, Crimo III could not obtain a FOID card without his father's participation in the application process, according to the Lake County State's Attorney's Office.
“He knew what he knew and he signed the form anyway,” Rinehart said in announcing the charges. Crimo Jr.'s next court date is Jan. 12.
Crimo Jr., previously said he does not regret sponsoring his son for the FOID card that allowed him to legally purchase weapons, even after reports that raised red flags with police, ABC-7 reported.
Reckless conduct is a Class 4 felony and carries a sentence, if convicted, of up to three years in prison. The counts typically are served concurrently, according to the state's attorney's office.