Highland Park shooting suspect remains in segregated jail unit

The suspect in the mass shooting at Highland Park’s 2022 Independence Day parade will spend another two months in a segregated jail unit for violating jail rules, an official confirmed Sunday.

Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said Robert Crimo III used the PIN number of another inmate to make a telephone call to his mother Dec. 21, after his telephone privileges had been suspended.

“Sometimes, there are inmates who try and circumvent the system by using someone else’s credentials to make a phone call – which appears to be the case in this circumstance,” Covelli said in an email.

As a result, the suspect will spend additional time in the jail’s administrative segregation unit, where detainees are assigned to single cells. Covelli said the suspect is expected to return to a normal cell block March 3, barring any further disciplinary issues.

The suspect previously had been placed in the segregation unit after threatening corrections officers, officials said. He had been scheduled to be released from the unit on Jan. 4.

The 23-year-old suspect faces 21 counts of first-degree murder and dozens of other charges stemming from the July 4, 2022 shooting that killed seven and wounded 48 others.