The father of the alleged Highland Park Fourth of July parade shooter was released from jail Wednesday morning after serving less than a month of his 60-day sentence due to “good behavior,” according to the Lake County sheriff’s office.

Robert Crimo Jr. pleaded guilty to seven misdemeanor counts of reckless conduct last month after prosecutors alleged he acted recklessly when sponsoring his son’s application for a firearm license when the Robert Crimo III was 19 years old.

The elder Crimo was originally charged with seven counts of felony reckless conduct — one for each person his son is accused of killing on July 4, 2022 — with each count carrying a maximum three-year prison term. But the charges were lowered after the father accepted a plea deal moments before his trial was set to begin in November.

In exchange for the guilty plea, Crimo Jr. was sentenced to spend 60 days in Lake County jail, beginning on Nov. 15, perform 100 hours of community service and serve two years on probation, which requires him to forfeit his gun license and guns.

Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli, and public information officer for the sheriff’s office, said the charge to which Crimo Jr. pleaded guilty to is served at 50% for good behavior, meaning he received a day-for-day credit for his behavior.

Crimo Jr.’s case was significant because it was a rare example of a parent being held liable for the actions of a mass shooting suspect.

On the day he reported for his jail sentence, Crimo Jr. arrived at the Lake County Courthouse wearing a white shirt that read, “I’m a political pawn,” in black letters. On the back of his shirt were the words “laws,” “facts” and “reality.”

In court, Judge George Strickland ordered Crimo Jr. to turn his shirt inside out, saying it violated court decorum.

In pleading guilty, Crimo Jr. agreed in court that he had knowledge of his son’s dangerous behavior prior to signing his son’s firearm identification (FOID) application affidavit.

“Today the legal system has found Robert Crimo Jr. bears responsibility for endangering so many, and he himself has agreed that this was a crime,” State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said on Nov. 6.

Three years before the attack in Highland Park, Crimo III was 19 and not old enough to seek a gun license, but could apply in Illinois with parental sponsorship. Crimo Jr. signed the application in 2019, even though months earlier, the son threatened to kill himself and his family, according to reports from the Highland Park police department.

Prosecutors charged Crimo Jr. in December 2022, arguing he should have known his son was troubled after consecutive violent threats, making him a poor candidate for gun ownership.

The father’s release comes just two days after the son’s trial was set for Feb. 26, 2024. At a conference hearing Monday, Crimo III dismissed his public defenders and announced he would represent himself at trial, which could take anywhere from four to six weeks.

Potential evidence — prosecutors said Crimo III admitted he was the gunman when he was arrested hours after the shooting — is voluminous.

Dozens were injured in addition to the seven killed at the July 4, 2022 Fourth of July parade. Crimo III is facing more than 100 felonies, including 21 counts of first-degree murder, 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery.

If found guilty, he could be sentenced to hundreds of years or life in prison.

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