Waukegan, IL – Democratic candidate for Lake County State’s Attorney, Eric Rinehart, released the following statement in response to Mike Nerheim’s decision to NOT charge Kyle Rittenhouse, or anyone associated with him, with weapon charges after the fatal shooting of Jacob Blake.
Rinehart stated:
“Equal application of the law and transparency are critical. The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office’s statement that there would be no charges against Kyle Rittenhouse for possessing an AR-15 that he used to kill two people, leaves more questions than answers.
“I understand the need to not prosecute a defendant through the press, and that certain details of a case should remain private during an ongoing investigation. However, the State’s Attorney’s Office should have conducted a full press conference to answer as many questions as possible.
“The current Lake County State’s Attorney has struggled for years with transparency. The handling of this case continues to demonstrate why we need new leadership that will be dedicated to informing the residents of Lake County about the issues that affect their safety. By failing to answer the public’s questions, the current office failed to fully inform the public about issues critical to public safety and whether Rittenhouse’s associates pose a threat to the people of Lake County.”