Kyle Rittenhouse’s bond agreement was changed after prosecutors said he showed white signs while posing for photos at a bar in southeast Wisconsin, WTMJ, the Milwaukee NBC branch reported.
Rittenhouse, a now 18-year-old from the outskirts of Antioch, is accused of killing two people and injuring a third in unrest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake last summer.
Rittenhouse was seen drinking at a bar in the town of Mount Pleasant, about 25 miles south of Milwaukee, after pleading not guilty to murder and other charges resulting from the August 25 shooting.
Rittenhouse, who is white, is free on a $ 2 million bond. After his arraignment on Jan. 5, Rittenhouse, his mother and several other adults went to Pudgy’s Pub, where he drank beer, prosecutors said. Although drinking age is 21, Rittenhouse could legally drink alcohol in Wisconsin because he was with his mother.
Prosecutors in Kenosha, Wisconsin are trying to change Kyle Rittenhouse’s bond agreement after saying the 18-year-old flashed white signs while posing for photos, drank several beers, and was “ serenaded ” with the Proud Boys’ official song on a Wisconsin bar.
The bond agreement did not prevent Rittenhouse from entering a bar, drinking alcohol, or interacting with known members of white supremacist groups.
A motion previously filed by prosecutors said five men at the Rittenhouse tavern serenaded the song “ Proud of Your Boy, ” which has become the anthem of the Proud Boys, a white supremacist group found to be involved in the attack on the Capitol on January 6.
“The defendant’s continued association with members of a group that prides itself on violence and the use of their symbols increases the significant potential for future harm. Moreover, this association can serve to intimidate potential witnesses, ”the motion read.
On January 22, the following details of the amended bond were released:
- Rittenhouse cannot own or consume alcoholic beverages.
- Rittenhouse will not knowingly interact with any person or group known to “harm, threaten, harass or threaten others based on their race, beliefs about religion, color, national origin, or gender.”
- Rittenhouse cannot own firearms.
Rittenhouse will return to court on March 10 for his final appearance leading up to the trial.
Mark Richards, the 18-year-old attorney, has said that 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 shot Sheskey Blake on Aug. 23 while responding to a domestic violence. Hundreds were arrested and several businesses destroyed. A Wisconsin prosecutor declined to press charges against Sheskey on Jan. 5 because he concluded that he could not refute the prosecutor’s claim that he was acting in self-defense.