Highland Park presents state’s attorney’s office with key to the city

City of Highland Park officials recently honored the county’s top prosecutor and his team for what Mayor Nancy Rotering described as their “unwavering dedication to justice and their steadfast support of our community.” 

Rotering presented Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart and his colleagues with a key to the city during the Highland Park City Council’s Monday, March 10 meeting. 

The recognition from the city comes one week after the Highland Park shooter pleaded guilty to all 69 charges brought against him in connection with the July 4, 2022 tragedy, as reported by The Record. 

The defendant’s actions at the city’s Fourth of July parade claimed the lives of seven people — Katie Goldstein, Irina McCarthy, Kevin Michael McCarthy, Stephen Straus, Jacki Lovi Sundheim, Nicolás Toledo and Eduardo Uvaldo — while also injuring dozens of others and impacting many more.

“Last Monday, we stood at the courthouse in Waukegan as an expected trial came to an unexpected end before it even began,” Rotering said during the meeting. 

Rotering restated on March 10 the comments she made last week, saying the guilty plea “is an important step toward justice, but does not erase the pain.”

“We are confident in our legal system,” she later added. “We recognize that there are milestones ahead. We continue to stand together and remain committed to supporting the victims, their families, and our entire community as we move forward together as one Highland Park.”

While introducing Rinehart, who was joined by several members of his team, during the March 10 session, Rotering said the dedication from the district attorney’s office “has brought strength and hope to our community in its darkest hours.” 

Rinehart, during brief remarks at the meeting, expressed his gratitude to everyone in the community.

“Everybody rose to the occasion in the face of evil, in the face of madness and in the face of pain — and everybody responded,” he said.

“And as I said Monday, we were 1,000 percent ready to show that jury, to show that judge, to show the people and to show the victims and the survivors that this man was 100 percent guilty of all 69 counts that we were about to present to those 18 jurors.”

A resident of Highland Park, Rinehart lauded the “unbelievable work of this town and its first responders.” 

The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.

Subscribe to The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.

Already a subscriber? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.