Crime & Safety
Data Breach Shows Public Officials Donated To Rittenhouse
A crowdfunding site has brought in more than $585,000 for the legal expenses of the Illinois teen accused of fatally shooting two men.
LAKE COUNTY, IL — A data breach has revealed public officials and police officers were among the donors to the legal fund for an Illinois teen accused of fatally shooting two protestors in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year.
The breach, which was shared with journalists by transparency group Distributed Denial of Secrets, showed many cases where officials donated and provided their official email addresses, according media reports.
Find out what's happening in Grayslakefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Get News Alerts and Newsletters from Patch
Rittenhouse has raised more than $585,000 for his legal defense since August through the Christian crowdfunding website, GoSendGo. The data breach shows several donations linked to email addresses for police and other public officials, the Guardian reports.
Find out what's happening in Grayslakefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
A $25 donation made anonymously but tied to the official email of a Norfolk, Virginia, police Sgt. William Kelly included this message: "God bless. Thank you for your courage. Keep your head up. You’ve done nothing wrong," according to the Guardian.
The comment went on: “Every rank and file police officer supports you. Don’t be discouraged by actions of the political class of law enforcement leadership.”
Rittenhouse, 18, is accused of traveling from his home in Antioch in August to Kenosha, Wisconsin, amid protests following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. The armed minor, who was 17 years old at the time, said he was there to protect businesses.
Rittenhouse fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber with an AR-15-style rifle, according to court documents. He also shot and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, according to prosecutors.
Rittenhouse faces first-degree murder charges in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, and is free after posting his $2 million bail. He is next expected in court on May 21 for a final pre-trial hearing. His trial is set for Nov. 1.
MORE ON PATCH
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.