Feb. 11 (UPI) -- A judge on Thursday denied prosecutors' request to increase bail and issue a new arrest warrant for Kyle Rittenhouse, the teen charged with killing two people during protests in Kenosha, Wis., over the summer.
Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Bruce Schroeder denied the request to raise Rittenhouse's bond by $200,000. He also sealed the teen's address from the public, including the Kenosha County District Attorney's Office, after prosecutors accused Rittenhouse of violating his bond by failing to notify them of a change of address.
"After what this town has been through in the last six months, I don't want any more problems," Schroeder said. "The police don't need any more problems. We don't need to have people's safety in jeopardy in any way. So I think that the desire that the ... defendant's address be kept from public scrutiny is a legitimate one."
The Kenosha County District Attorney's Office last week said a notice about a hearing mailed to Rittenhouse was returned to sender without a forwarding address.
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Prosecutors accused Rittenhouse of having a "carefree attitude" and not respecting his bond conditions while facing homicide charges. His initial bond of $2 million was paid for through donations to his legal defense fund.
Schroeder said it appeared Kenosha County Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger was aware Rittenhouse had not been staying at the apartment in Antioch, Ill., listed as his address in court documents citing an email exchange with a defense attorney about keeping the address of the "safe house" secret.
Defense attorney Mark Richards said, however, that he had not officially asked for a seal or updated the address.
"I should have been more diligent in getting that taken care of, but I didn't," he said.
Rittenhouse, 18, was indicted as an adult on charges of being a fugitive from justice, first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree reckless homicide for allegedly killing Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and injuring Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, with an AR-15-style rifle during protests against the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
His bond had previously been changed to prohibit him from knowingly having 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," possessing and consuming alcoholic beverages and possessing firearms.
The change was made after he was caught on security footage drinking beer at a bar in Mount Pleasant, Wis., and flashing an "OK" hand gesture, which has been co-opted by White supremacist groups. A group of men also serenaded Rittenhouse with the Proud Boys anthem -- a group linked to violent White supremacy.
