Kyle Rittenhouse’s bail contract was modified after prosecutors said he made signs of white power while posing for photos at a bar in southeastern Wisconsin, WTMJ, said the NBC affiliate in Milwaukee.
Rittenhouse, now 18 years old from the suburb of Antioquia, is accused of killing two people and injuring a third in disturbances after the police shooting at Jacob Blake last summer.
Rittenhouse was seen drinking at a bar in the town of Mount Pleasant, some 25 miles south of Milwaukee, after he pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges resulting from the August 25 shooting.
Rittenhouse, who is white, is free on $ 2 million bail. After his charge on January 5, Rittenhouse, his mother and several other adults went to Pudgy’s Pub, where he was seen drinking beer, according to prosecutors. Although the drinking age is 21, Rittenhouse could legally drink alcohol in Wisconsin because he was with his mother.
Prosecutors in Kenosha, Wisconsin are trying to modify Kyle Rittenhouse’s bail contract after saying that the 18-year-old displayed white energy posters while posing for photos, drank several beers and listened to the official music of the Proud Boys at a Wisconsin Bar.
The bond agreement did not restrict Rittenhouse from entering a bar, drinking alcohol or interacting with known members of white supremacy groups.
A motion previously filed by prosecutors said that five men in the tavern serenade Rittenhouse with the song “Proud of Your Boy”, which became the anthem of the Proud Boys, a white supremacist group whose members were identified as involved in the attack on the US Capitol on January 6.
“The defendant’s continued association with members of a group that prides itself on violence, and the use of its symbols, raises the significant possibility of future harm. In addition, this association can serve to intimidate potential witnesses, ”says the motion.
On January 22, the following details of the modified title were released:
- Rittenhouse cannot own or consume alcoholic beverages.
- Rittenhouse must not have contact with any person or group known to “harm, threaten, harass or threaten others based on their race, beliefs in religion, color, nationality or gender.”
- Rittenhouse cannot own firearms.
Rittenhouse is due to return to court on March 10 for his final presentation before the trial.
Mark Richards, the 18-year-old’s lawyer, said Rittenhouse was acting in self-defense when he killed Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz with an assault rifle. Rittenhouse told police he was guarding a private company during the protest that night.
The widespread unrest in Kenosha came after officer Rusten Sheskey shot Blake on August 23 while responding to a domestic disturbance. Hundreds were arrested and several companies were destroyed. A Wisconsin prosecutor on January 5 refused to open charges against Sheskey, concluding that he could not refute the policeman’s claim that he acted in self-defense.