Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart Seeks Second Term In Office

WAUKEGAN, IL — Dozens of local Democrats joined Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart Tuesday in Waukegan as he announced the launch of his campaign for a second term as the chief prosecutor in the state's third-largest county.

Rinehart, 46, was elected to a first term in 2020 after working as a public defender and criminal defense attorney for more than 16 years.

The Highland Park Democrat, who did not face a primary opponent, defeated his predecessor, Gurnee Republican Mike Nerheim, by about 13,500 votes — a 52-48 margin — to become the first Democrat in four decades to be elected state's attorney in Lake County.

In a speech announcing his bid to secure the Democratic Party's nomination for a second time, Rinehart said he had a long list of accomplishments during his time in office.

"As we promised to do, we have brought a comprehensive approach to tackle the problem of violent crime," Rinehart said. "We have built the first-ever violent crimes unit, increased prosecutors in our domestic violence division, and vastly upgraded our cyber lab. Now, we have top-notch software and personnel to finally keep up with those who would exploit others."

Rinehart touted the $750,000 grant his office received to start a task force to fight human trafficking, the creation of a new chief of victim services position and a doubling in the number of Spanish-speaking victim support specialists.

The state's attorney's announcement was attended by State Sen. Adriane Johnson, Rep. Bob Morgan, Lake County Board President Sandy Hart, Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega and Lauren Beth Gash, chief of the Lake County Democratic Party, among other legislators, county officials and community leaders, according to a Rinehart campaign representative.

"For too long, we have allowed gun violence to destroy our lives and neighborhoods," Rinehart said, calling on Congress to pass a federal ban on assault-style weapons.

"In Illinois, I am so proud to be one of the few Illinois prosecutors who stood up for the Assault Weapon Ban in the Protect Illinois Communities Act. Most prosecutors were silent, And some prosecutors filed lawsuits challenging the ban," he said. "Lake County needs a prosecutor who will vigorously prosecute those who violate the ban and who will not be controlled by extremists on this issue that is so critical to our safety."

Rinehart said multiple solutions — not just bans on certain guns and magazines — are needed to counteract gun violence.

"We know that most gun deaths do not occur in mass shootings but in the everyday violence that stems from retaliation, social media disputes, coercive control by domestic abusers and even gangs," the prosecutor said, according to a transcript of his remarks. "While we are holding the offenders accountable in courts through our Violent Crimes Unit, we also know that gun violence arises from a multitude of social failures."

According to Rinehart, the state's attorney's office has established a gun violence prevention initiative that aims to "saturate" people at risk of gun violence with services.

Violence interrupters working for his office look to mediate disputes and stop retaliation, while also connecting young people with services such as job training, mentoring, substance abuse treatment, housing, mental health or food, he said.

Rinehart said the county needs an accountable legal system that does not shy away from addressing differences in outcomes for people depending on their wealth and ethnic background.

"We know that ending the use of cash for bail will stop a system that allows wealthy, violent criminals to go free prior to trial, while poor individuals charged with non-violent crimes have to sit in jail," said Rinehart, one of only two county prosecutors to publicly back the controversial SAFE-T Act.

Currently under review by the Illinois Supreme Court after a circuit judge declared it unconstitutional, the act would eliminate the use of money bond.

Ahead of last November's election, Rinehart's office produced a "fact sheet" that falsely suggested that the act differentiates between "violent offenders" and "non-violent" offenders.

"How will we explain to children that you are allowed free from jail if you have money, while others with less money are not released," Rinehart asked in his campaign kickoff speech.

"Finally, judges can hold violent criminals without worrying about whether they will post money and hurt their victims again," he said.

In fact, judges in Illinois still set cash bonds — usually in the form of "deposit" bonds which require defendants to post 10 percent of their amounts — for those who are arrested and charged with crimes.

Justices in the state's highest court heard oral arguments in March in an appeal of a Kankakee County judge's ruling that found the SAFE-T Act's bail reforms were an unconstitutional violation of separation of powers and inherent judicial authority. A ruling in the case is expected in the next couple months.

"The time of the legal system gaslighting the people of Lake County is over," Rinehart said. "Forever."