Robert Crimo Jr., father of Highland Park shooting suspect pleads guilty in deal, gets 60 days
Crimo Jr. will serve 60 days in jail and spend 2 years on probation
WAUKEGAN, Ill. (WLS) -- The father of the alleged Highland Park shooting suspect pleaded guilty Monday as part of a deal with prosecutors Monday.
Robert Crimo Jr. was supposed to stand trial Monday morning, but instead he took a plea deal.
As part of the plea deal, Crimo Jr. pleaded guilty to seven misdemeanor counts of reckless conduct., rather than face felony charges. Prosecutors said he would be on probation for two years and serve 60 days in Lake County Jail. He will also have to perform 100 hours of community service.
Prosecutors had set out to prove that he recklessly helped his son get a firearm ID card knowing his son had expressed violent and suicidal thoughts.
"Robert Crimo Jr., the father, made the reckless and dangerous decision to sponsor his son's FOID application," Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said. "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."
Robert Crimo Jr. was facing seven felony counts that could have put him in in jail for three years, but he pleaded guilty on misdemeanor counts that carry a maximum of one year behind bars.
Crimo's son, Robert Crimo III, is accused of buying weapons with the gun card then using them to open fire on 4th of July parade goers in Highland Park in 2022. Seven people were killed, 48 others were wounded.
This case was rare since charges are hardly ever filed against parents of accused mass shooters.
George Gomez, attorney for Crimo Jr., spoke after court Monday, saying he wants his son to receive a fair trial and keep the public from having to relive the shooting spree again.
"Mr. Crimo ultimately did not want his family to be more torn apart on the public stage than it already his," Gomez said. "Also, Mr. Crimo also took into account the community of Highland Park. As a member of that community, the last thing that Mr. Crimo wants is the Highland Park community to relive these tragic events and make a public spectacle of this."
The head of the Illinois State Police said this will make parents think twice in the future.
"If you have knowledge that someone is a threat and you don't act on it, you could be looking at jail time yourself. That is something we have not had before in this state until this moment today," said ISP Director Brendan Kelly.
Crimo Jr. will begin serving his sentence on November 15.
