Evidence presented to grand jury in Highland Park shooter’s father’s case – NBC Chicago

Illinois prosecutors told a judge on Thursday they were presenting evidence to a grand jury for a possible indictment against the father of the man accused of fatally shooting seven people during a July 4 parade in the suburbs of Chicago.

Robert Crimo Jr., 58, was arrested in December on seven counts of careless driving. He is accused of helping his son get a gun license years before the 2022 Highland Park shootings, even though the 19-year-old allegedly threatened violence.

One count of reckless driving carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison.

Prosecutors told Judge George Strickland during a brief hearing Thursday in Lake County court in Waukegan, north of Highland Park, that they were presenting evidence to the grand jury and expecting a decision by mid- february. The next court date is February 16.

Crimo, a longtime resident and well-known figure in Highland Park, was released after his arrest last month on $50,000 bail.

Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said the charges against the father were based on his sponsorship of his son’s application for a firearms license in December 2019. Authorities say Robert Crimo III attempted suicide with a machete in April 2019 and in September 2019 was accused by a family member of threatening to “kill everyone”.

Authorities say Illinois State Police reviewed the son’s gun license application and found no reason to deny it because he had no arrests, no criminal record, no serious mental health condition, no order of protection and no other behavior that would disqualify him.

George M. Gomez, the father’s Chicago-area attorney, called the charges against his client “baseless and unprecedented.”

Legal experts said it is rare for the parent or guardian of an accused shooter to be charged, in part because such charges are difficult to prove.

A grand jury indicted Crimo’s son, Robert Crimo III in July, on 21 counts of first-degree murder, 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery, accounting for the seven people killed and dozens injured during the attack during the holiday parade in Highland Park. .