The father of the Highland Park shooter has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges and will serve 60 days in jail after taking a plea deal just before he was set to go on trial Monday.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Robert Crimo Jr., 58, of Highwood, in mid-December with seven counts of reckless conduct causing great bodily harm, a Class 4 felony.
Crimo Jr. appeared in court Monday morning for a bench trial before Lake County Judge George Strickland.
Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart informed the judge that a plea deal had been reached in the case.
Crimo Jr. pleaded guilty to seven counts of reckless conduct, a Class A misdemeanor, in exchange for his felony charges being dismissed.
The plea deal consists of two years of probation, 100 hours of public service and 60 days in the Lake County Jail.
Crimo Jr. will be required to surrender his FOID card and weapons as part of his probation.
Strickland accepted the plea deal and sentenced Crimo Jr. to the agreed terms.
Rinehart said the families of the seven victims killed in the Highland Park mass shooting had been “consulted extensively” about the plea agreement.
Strickland questioned Rinehart whether any of the families wished to make a victim impact statement.
The state’s attorney said he was unsure whether they wanted to make a victim impact statement but said he did not believe the charge Crimo Jr. pleaded guilty to required the victim’s families the opportunity to give a victim impact statement under state law.
The misdemeanor charges Crimo Jr. pleaded guilty to carry up to 365 days in jail. He faced up to three years in prison if convicted of his felony charges.
Crimo Jr. will begin serving his 60-day sentence on November 15.
Prosecutors and Highland Park police officers allege that Crimo Jr. was criminally reckless at the time that he helped his son obtain a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card.
Prosecutors said that helping his son obtain a FOID card was a contributing cause to the harm suffered by the murder victims in the July 4, 2022, mass shooting in Highland Park.
The man’s son, Crimo III, was under 21 when he sought to obtain the FOID card and required his father’s participation in the application process.
Rinehart said during a December press conference that parents 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,” Rinehart said.
“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.