Column: Parents need to be held accountable for kids’ gun use

With warm weather has come a spate of gun violence in Lake County. That includes a shooting in the parking lot of a Waukegan bowling alley at the Fountain Square entertainment corridor, close to the city's newest marvel, the Temporary by American Place gaming mecca.

One way to curb victims of summer shootings is to start arresting parents whose children are involved in gun violence. Either they need to step up as parents, or make them accountable for the actions of their legal charges.

Like the guardians of the two teens who are charged in the shooting and killing of a popular Waukegan High School coach and counselor last month. Having parents go through the criminal justice system may wake them up to what their kids are doing when moms and dads aren't paying attention.

Lawyers in the office of Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart late last year charged Highwood resident Robert Crimo Jr. with seven counts of felony reckless conduct. Authorities allege he was criminally reckless at the time he helped his son, who was under age 21, procure an Illinois Firearms Owner Identification card.

His son is Robert Crimo III, who faces murder charges for allegedly brandishing an assault-style weapon in connection with last year's mass shooting at the July 4 parade in Highland Park, where seven people were killed and 48 wounded. Crimo Jr., who once ran for mayor of Highland Park, has pleaded not guilty to the charges which could net him up to three years in prison if convicted.

After a Lake County grand jury indicted Crimo Jr., Rinehart said in a statement: "Parents who are reckless when they help their kids get weapons of war are morally and legally responsible for the harm that follows. We will continue to seek justice for the victims and prosecute those who endanger the community."

Many of us have received our criminal law degrees from taking Thursday night classes at the Dick Wolf School of Law and Order on NBC. So it makes sense to us that Rinehart should pursue similar charges against the parents or guardians of David Dejesus, 16, and Yahir Torrecilla, 17.

In a statement following the arrests of the two young suspects in the fatal May 6 shooting of 23-year-old Waukegan High coach Niolis Collazo, Rinehart said: "Our office will support the victim's family and seek justice in the courtroom." Authorities said in the shooting, the teens allegedly used a device that juices-up a semi-automatic pistol into an automatic, making it fairly close to a "weapon of war."

No motive has been disclosed for the senseless death of the young volleyball coach near the intersection of 10th Street and Lewis Avenue as she was driving home from a dinner out.

While conducting search warrants at both of the juveniles’ homes, Waukegan police seized four handguns from one house, two more at another. One of them had that fully-automatic switch attached to the gun.

Police said they recovered a second full-auto switch in the search, but that it was not attached to a weapon. Authorities pointed out one of the recovered handguns was reported stolen from Florida.

The two boys have been charged as adults with three counts each of first-degree murder. Their bonds are set at $5 million each, as they have been spending the last days before what would have been their summer vacations in the Hulse Detention Center at the Robert W. Depke Juvenile Complex Center in Vernon Hills.

Dejesus’ next court date is scheduled June 8; Torrecilla's set for June 9. Authorities say they have numerous surveillance videos used in identifying a vehicle allegedly used in the shooting which was registered to a relative of Dejesus. Investigators say Dejesus and Torrecilla were in that vehicle at the time of the deadly shooting.

Late last month, Zion police may have interrupted another shooting when a carload of mainly teens was pulled over in the city at 4 a.m. To quote many a mom: Nothing ever good happens at 4 a.m.

A 17-year-old passenger in the vehicle was arrested and charged with possession of a stolen firearm and several counts of unlawful use of a weapon after he was discovered with a loaded pistol with a chambered round, Zion police said. The weapon was reported stolen in 2017 from Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Obviously, tough gun laws won't stop accused shooters from obtaining firearms no matter what their ages. We’ve seen that often enough and recently.

Targeting parents is one way to stem that from happening for those underage or living under their roofs. Make enough cases to that effect and they might take an interest, and start asking what their kids are up to roaming city streets at night or early morning.

In Illinois, we’ve got bans on military-style assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, red-flag laws and various gun-violence prevention initiatives. Charging the parents is another device in the tool belt to end the insidious spiral of gun violence.

Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor.

[email protected].

Twitter: @sellenews