The father of the man charged with killing seven people at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, last year pleaded guilty Monday to reckless conduct charges in a plea deal.
Robert Crimo Jr. pleaded guilty to seven counts of misdemeanor reckless conduct — one for each person killed by his son, Robert Crimo III — in a Waukegan court in suburban Chicago. In the deal, the charges were downgraded from felony counts.
He’ll serve 60 days in jail and two years probation as part of the deal. He also has to surrender his Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card and any firearms or ammo, and must agree to not sponsor any minors for FOID in the future.
A grand jury had indicted Crimo Jr. in February after he sponsored his son’s FOID application, which allowed him to buy the AR-15 style weapon used in the shooting.
Crimo Jr. had sponsored his son’s application in 2019 when his son was 19 and too young to apply for his own gun license, and despite previous threats by his son to harm himself and loved ones, authorities previously said.
“His decision in 2019 to cavalierly cast aside his concerns about his son and ignore his specific knowledge before sponsoring his son’s FOID application endangered lives,” Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said Monday. He said that decision “enabled” the shooting and put “the lives of hundreds in jeopardy.”
He said that Crimo III’s challenges and issues were evident to his parents, his school and the local police department, and yet Crimo Jr. still sponsored his FOID application. Rinehart called the guilty plea a warning to parents, who are rarely prosecuted when their children commit mass violence with firearms.
“There have been very few parents who have been held responsible for their children — that era has come to an end,” Rinehart said.
Crimo III has pleaded not guilty to 21 first-degree murder counts, 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery. His trial date has not been set.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.