(Lake County, IL) Today, Robert Crimo Jr., 59, entered a negotiated “guilty” plea on seven counts of reckless conduct, a class A misdemeanor. Crimo Jr.’s plea includes 60 days in the Lake County Jail, 24-month probation, and the surrendering of his FOID card and all his firearms.
Crimo Jr. was first charged in December 2022, after prosecutors and Highland Park police officers said Crimo Jr. was criminally reckless in 2019, when he signed and executed an affidavit in support of his son, Robert Crimo III’s, application for a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card (FOID). Crimo Jr. put aside the concerns he had about his son and sponsored his son’s ability to obtain a weapon that would endanger people’s lives.
After today’s court hearing, Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart first expressed his condolences to those who have suffered and went on to say about the Defendant:
“Robert Crimo, Jr., made the reckless and dangerous decision to sponsor his son’s FOID application. This wasn’t a fishing license. This wasn’t a permission slip to go to the museum – this was a permission slip for his son to buy an assault rifle. And when he signed this permission slip – he knew exactly how dangerous it was for this 19-year-old to have a weapon.
Today, the legal system has found that Robert Crimo Jr. bears responsibility for endangering many and Mr. Crimo Jr., himself, has agreed it was a crime. Today, we know the father of the Highland Park shooter will receive certain punishment for that decision.
Today, parents bear a forceful responsibility for their decisions to allow their children access to weapons, especially when they are acutely aware of the potential consequences to themselves and society.”
State’s Attorney Rinehart was joined by Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly who praised the “aggressive and innovative” prosecution of Crimo, Jr. Kelly stated, “this sends a very strong message in a way that it is unprecedented in the history of our state, and to some extent, that is unprecedented in the United States.” Illinois State Representative Bob Morgan, who represents Highland Park, also thanked the State’s Attorney’s Office for its work. Morgan was the lead sponsor of Illinois’s assault weapon ban which was passed in the aftermath of the Highland Park shooting.
Rinehart added:
“I want to thank Detective Brian Bodden of the Highland Park Police Department for his diligent and detailed work. He brought us the evidence that demonstrated the father’s knowledge. Thank you to the Illinois State Police and Director Kelly, who has provided us with every resource we have needed, and they have supported this prosecution at every turn. And thank you to our victim service specialists who have kept hundreds of victims up to date and guided them with compassion and expertise through every court date.”
Crimo Jr. Is expected to begin serving his time in the Lake County Jail on November 15, 2023.
Crimo, Jr.’s son, Robert Crimo III, is currently facing 117 charges for killing seven people and wounding 48 people at the Highland Park Parade on July 4. Crimo III’s next court date is December 11, 2023, before the Honorable Judge Victoria Rossetti.
