Kyle Rittenhouse's bond agreement has been modified after prosecutors said he flashed white-power signs while posing for photos at a southeastern Wisconsin bar, WTMJ, the NBC affiliate in Milwaukee reported.
Rittenhouse, a now 18-year-old from suburban Antioch, is charged with killing two people and wounding a third in unrest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake last summer.
Rittenhouse was seen drinking at a bar in the city of Mount Pleasant, about 25 miles south of Milwaukee, after he pleaded not guilty to homicide and other charges resulting from the Aug. 25 shooting.
Rittenhouse, who is white, is free on $2 million bond. After his Jan. 5 arraignment, 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.
The bond agreement didn't restrict 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 tavern serenaded Rittenhouse with the song “Proud of Your Boy," which has become the anthem of the Proud Boys, a white supremacist group whose members have been identified as being involved in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
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“The defendant’s continued association with members of a group that prides itself on violence, and the use of their symbols, raises the significant possibility of future harm. Further, this association may serve to intimidate potential witnesses,” the motion read.
On Jan. 22, the following details of the modified bond were released:
- Rittenhouse cannot possess nor consume alcoholic beverages.
- Rittenhouse shall not knowingly have contact with any person or group known to "harm, threaten, harass or menace others on the basis of their race, beliefs on the subject of religion, color, national origin, or gender."
- Rittenhouse cannot possess firearms.
Rittenhouse is set to return to court on March 10 for his final pre-trial appearance.
Mark Richards, the 18-year-old's attorney, has said Rittenhouse was acting in self-defense when he killed Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, with an assault-style rifle. Rittenhouse told police he was guarding a private business during the protest that night.
The widespread unrest in Kenosha happened after Officer Rusten Sheskey shot Blake on Aug. 23 while responding to a domestic disturbance. Hundreds were arrested, and multiple businesses were destroyed. A Wisconsin prosecutor on Jan. 5 declined to file charges against Sheskey, concluding he couldn’t disprove the officer’s contention that he acted in self-defense.
