A Lake County judge set bond at $50,000 for Robert Crimo Jr, age 58, of Highwood, the father of accused Highland Park 4th of July parade mass shooter Robert Crimo III. Lake County prosecutors say Crimo III’s father was criminally reckless when he helped his son, who was then under age 21, obtain a Firearm Owners Identification card (FOID card) even though warning signs existed. According to prosecutors, the father’s assistance in obtaining the FOID card, was a contributing factor to the suffering of victims of the mass shooting at a 4th of July parade on July 4, 2022 in Highland Park.
Lake County Judge Jacquelyn Melius initially issued a $500,000 bond on the warrant, but later reduced the bond to $50,000. Crimo, Jr’s Attorney George Gomez said his client has no criminal history and that he is a former business owner, so he asked the court to release his client on a personal recognizance bond or a low cash bond. Gomez added that Crimo Jr. has $5,000 cash to post 10% bond if the court imposed a cash bond. Robert Crimo, Jr., a man who ran for mayor of Highland Park and once owned a sandwich shop in Highland Park’s cozy “second downtown” in the Ravinia neighborhood was released today, Saturday, December 17, 2022 at 12:31 p.m.
Lake County prosecutors did not contest the low bond, but asked the court to order Robert Crimo Jr. to surrender his concealed carry license and FOID card, and any firearms in his possession as a condition of the bond.
Illinois State Police and the Lake County Major Crime Task Force detailed two past law enforcement encounters with Crimo III.
Crimo III applied for the FOID card in December 2019, just three months after police responded in September 2019 to his residence when he threatened to “kill everyone.”
A “clear and present danger” report was filed with the Illinois State Police, but no one in the Crimo family wanted to move forward with a criminal complaint.
Robert E. Crimo III had attempted suicide just eight months earlier in April 2019, which involved a police and police awareness.
Police had also temporarily confiscated a collection of knives from Crimo III.
Crimo III also uploaded music videos with violent imagery — posted publicly online.
Crimo III’s underage status required his father’s assistance in obtaining the FOID card, but somehow the father disregarded his son’s at-risk behavior, and no fail-safe system in the government obstructed Crimo III from obtaining a FOID card.
In 2013, Highland Park passed an ordinance banning assault weapons within the city, which was upheld in 2015 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and later in 2015 in the U.S. Supreme Court. According to neighbors, a macabre mural on the back Crimo III’s mother’s house existed for a few years before the mass shooting in Highland Park, and remained on display at least a few days after the mass shooting. The painting showed a dark figure with dripping eyes and a dripping smile on a smiley face armed with a long gun. Neighbors sought the assistance of the City of Highland Park to have the disturbing mural removed, but requests were rejected, according to a neighbor.
Robert Crimo Jr. was arrested Friday, December 16, 2022 by the Highland Park Police Department after the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed seven counts of felony Reckless Conduct (Great Bodily Harm) charges on Thursday, December 15, 2022. Robert Crimo Jr., is the father of Robert Crimo III who currently faces murder charges in connection with the Highland Park parade shooting.
Prosecutors and Highland Park police officers allege that Robert Crimo Jr. was criminally reckless at the time that he helped his son procure a FOID card for his son and that helping his son obtain a FOID card was a contributing cause to the bodily harm suffered by the homicide victims in the mass shooting.
Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart held a press conference Friday afternoon December 16, 2022 announcing that parents are in the best position to decide whether their teenager should have a weapon.
The Honorable Judge Paul Novak found “probable cause” for the charges and issued a warrant for Crimo Jr.’s arrest on Thursday. The bond hearing will be conducted on Saturday morning.
As an individual under the age of 21, Crimo III was unable to obtain a FOID card without his father’s participation in the application process.
Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart stated at a press conference this afternoon, “Parents and guardians are in the best position to decide whether their teenager should have a weapon. They are the first line of defense. In this case, that system failed when Robert Crimo Jr. sponsored his son. He knew what he knew, and he signed the form anyway. This was criminally reckless and a contributing cause to the bodily harm suffered by the victims on July 4th.”
“(Parents) are the first line of defense. In this case, that system failed when Robert Crimo Jr. sponsored his son.”
— Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart
“He knew what he knew, and he signed the form anyway. This was criminally reckless and a contributing cause to the bodily harm suffered by the victims on July 4,” Rinehart said.
Reckless Conduct is a Class 4 Felony, for which Crimo Jr. can be sentenced for up to 3 years in prison. Reckless conduct counts are typically served concurrently with each other.
Federal and local investigators have been combing through enormous amounts of digital evidence since the night of July 4, 2022. Rinehart praised law enforcement for their tireless work on the case. “Dozens of federal, state, and local law enforcement personnel have been working to analyze the digital evidence in this case. Our Cyber Lab personnel were critical partners on the team that helped us uncover the truth of the critical weeks before the FOID was issued.”
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 January 31, 2023, before the Honorable Judge Victoria Rossetti. His father’s case has been assigned to the Honorable Judge James Booras.
Earlier Notice …
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office has planned a press conference for Friday afternoon, December 16, 2022 regarding Bob Crimo, Jr, who is facing a charge of reckless conduct.
The charge is connected to the signing of an affidavit allowing his son, Robert Crimo III, to obtain a Firearm Owners Identification Card.
Bob Crimo, Jr, is the father of accused shooter Robert Crimo III, who is facing 21 counts of First-Degree Murder, calculated from three counts for each of the seven deceased victims of the Highland Park Fourth of July parade mass shooting. Crimo III is also facing 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm for each victim that was struck by a bullet or shrapnel.
Get updates from The Cardinal ALL NEWS FEEDS on Facebook. Just ‘LIKE’ the ‘Arlington Cardinal Page (become a fan of our page). The updates cover all posts and sub-category posts from The Cardinal — Arlingtoncardinal.com. You can also limit feeds to specific categories. See all of The Cardinal Facebook fan pages at Arlingtoncardinal.com/about/facebook …
Help fund The Cardinal Arlingtoncardinal.com/sponsor