Racine Attorney Now Represents Kyle Rittenhouse

RACINE, WI — A defense attorney from Racine has been added to the high-profile legal defense team for Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old Antioch, Illinois resident who stands accused of shooting and killing two people in Kenosha and wounding a third during the first week of Jacob Blake-related protests. Blake was shot and wounded by Kenosha police and remains partially paralyzed in a Milwaukee hospital bed.

According to a JSOnline report, "neither L. Lin Wood, a libel and defamation lawyer from Atlanta, nor John Pierce, a Los Angeles-based civil litigator, are licensed to practice in Wisconsin."

That left Rittenhouse's legal team with the task of finding a Wisconsin-based attorney to help manage the case.

Enter Mark Richards, a defense attorney based in Racine. Wisconsin Patch called Richards' office at Richards and Dimmer, SC, located in Downtown Racine, however the office is not making any public statements on the case.

Rittenhouse Detained In Illinois

Rittenhouse was arrested in Antioch, where he lives, and faces charges in Wisconsin on allegations he fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Anthony Huber, 26, of Silver Lake, Wisconsin, and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, of West Allis, Wisconsin.

On Sep. 25, lawyers will discuss whether Wisconsin law enforcement can transfer Rittenhouse across the border and up to Kenosha County to face charges. The extradition process could be quick or lengthy depending on how Rittenhouse's attorney plans to proceed, said Lee Filas, communications manager with the Lake County State's Attorney's Office.

His lawyers could waive his right to the hearing, which means he could be transferred to Wisconsin, or they could invoke his rights for extradition, which is a process that could take up to 60 days, Filas said.

Rittenhouse has been charged as an adult on six charges in Wisconsin. He has been in custody in Illinois since his arrest and is being held without bond at the Hulse Detention Center near Vernon Hills, according to court documents.

If convicted on the most serious charge, first-degree intentional homicide, Rittenhouse would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison. He is also charged in Wisconsin with first-degree reckless homicide, two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, and possession of a dangerous weapon.

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Original Reporting By Amie Schaenzer, Patch Staff