As closing arguments were made on Monday, Nov. 15, 2021, in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, the second of the seven counts the 18-year-old faced has been dismissed.
According to multiple reports, Judge Bruce Schroeder dropped count six against accused Kenosha, Wisconsin, shooter Rittenhouse. The charge was possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18, which was a misdemeanor.
The defense argued Wisconsin had a law that included an exception that could clear Rittenhouse. The exception is whether or not a rifle or shotgun is short-barreled. After the court determined Rittenhouse’s rifle was not short-barreled, Schroeder dismissed the charged, according to The Associated Press. Schroeder previously declined to dismiss the charge twice earlier in the trial, and admitted the law was confusingly written. The misdemeanor had a maximum nine-month prison sentence.
The first count dismissed in the trial was count seven, which was failure to comply with an emergency order from state or local government. Rittenhouse was originally charged with being out after the city’s 8 p.m. curfew, a minor offense that carries up to a $200 fine. Schroeder dismissed the charge in the second week of the trial after the defense argued there wasn’t enough evidence to prove Rittenhouse violated the curfew.
The teenager still faces up to 205 years in prison on the remaining five counts.
Rittenhouse is on trial for allegedly shooting and killing three protesters at a rally against police brutality in 2020. He was 17 years old at the time of the alleged crime.
