Judge Says Rittenhouse Doesn't Need to Be Arrested

'After what this town has been through in the last six months I don’t want any more problems'
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 12, 2021 4:38 AM CST
Updated Feb 12, 2021 6:40 AM CST
Judge Rejects Request to Re-Arrest Kyle Rittenhouse
In this screen grab from live stream video, Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger speaks during an arrest hearing for Kyle Rittenhouse in Kenosha County Court in Kenosha, Wis., on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021   (Kenosha County Court via AP)

Kyle Rittenhouse doesn't need to be arrested again, his bail doesn't need to be increased, and he doesn't have to publicly disclose his whereabouts, a judge in Wisconsin decided Thursday. Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder rejected prosecutors' request to issue an arrest warrant for the 18-year-old, who is charged with killing two men and injuring a third during protests in Kenosha last year, NPR reports. Prosecutors said Rittenhouse, who was freed in November after posting $2 million bail, violated bond conditions by failing to inform the court of a change in address. The teen's lawyers said he withheld his new address out of safety concerns. They submitted an anonymous email warning that Rittenhouse would be raped in prison. Schroeder agreed that there were legitimate concerns for Rittenhouse's safety.

Schroeder said the violation wasn't enough reason to arrest Rittenhouse. The judge declined the request to raise bail by $200,000, but told Rittenhouse's lawyers to submit his new address to the court, which would keep it sealed. The judge said he didn't want to risk further unrest. "After what this town has been through in the last six months I don’t want any more problems," Schroeder said, per Reuters. "I've got two broken windows here, right here in this courtroom, the doors are all still covered with plywood, a good share of the community is still boarded up after millions of dollars of damage." CNN reports that John Huber, father of one of the men allegedly shot by Rittenhouse, asked for bail to be increased to $4 million. "From the moment he became a killer he thought he was above the law," Huber said. (Rittenhouse's bail conditions were changed after he was seen drinking with Proud Boys.)

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