Dominick Black, a friend of Kyle Rittenhouse who helped him purchase his AR-15, took a plea deal of a $2,000 fine. Black was charged with two counts of intentionally giving a dangerous weapon to a person under the age of 18.
According to the criminal complaint, Black “purchased a Smith & Wesson M&P 15 rifle from the Ladysmith Ace Home Center in Ladysmith, Wisconsin” with money from Rittenhouse. The two charges could have caused Black to be imprisoned for up to 12 years and or fined up to $20,000.
Black was also one of the prosecution’s main testimonies in the Rittenhouse trial and, in exchange for his testimony, the prosecutors delayed his case and offered him a plea deal, WISN News reported.
The decision was made on Monday during his court date, where he was being prosecuted by the same prosecutors from the Rittenhouse case.
“Mr. Rittenhouse was legally considered a child at the time of the purchase of this firearm, and therefore Mr. Black would be liable for violating that county ordinance,” Prosecutor Thomas Binger reportedly said.
Black did not appear for the Monday court hearing as he was not required to, but his attorney said that he was happy to have “this nightmare behind him.”
The charges against Black were impacted by the Rittenhouse ruling, where Judge Bruce Schroeder threw out the minor weapons charge against Rittenhouse because of a Wisconsin law that allows 17-year-olds to possess rifles and shotguns.
“In these circumstances, to go forward with these felony charges against Mr. Black, given the court’s legal ruling, as well as Mr. Black’s cooperation and the jury’s decision in the Rittenhouse case does not seem appropriate,” Binger said.
Black’s family created a GiveSendGo account to raise money for his legal fees. The GiveSendGo had a goal of $100,000 and as of Tuesday, has raised over $78,000. The description said that Black “deserves a fair fight” and that he “shouldn’t be punished or be made an ‘example’ of, especially when the charges no longer apply to the case they were tied to.”
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Hayley Feland is a reporter with The Minnesota Sun and The Wisconsin Daily Star | Star News Network. Follow Hayley on Twitter or like her Facebook page. Send news tips to [email protected].
Photo “Dominick Black” by Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department.
