Ricky Schroder defends helping bail out Kyle Rittenhouse: ‘The kid is innocent’
- by Nick Cohen
- in Industry
- — Nov 26, 2020
Schroder said Rittenhouse's case struck a nerve - he felt mistreated by the media as well after his arrest in May 2019 for allegedly punching his longtime girlfriend, a case that was later dismissed.
"It sucked because everybody thought I was a woman beater, and I'm not a woman beater", he said. TMZ reported Tuesday that Schroder reached out to police after seeing threatening messages on social media in reaction to his support for Rittenhouse.
By looking at the seriousness of the case, Kyle was jailed for a bond of mind-boggling 2 million United States dollars as the court says that Rittenhouse could be a flight risk. During multiple nights of protests, a number of Kenosha businesses and vehicles were set on fire. "For people who say 'systemic racism doesn't exist, ' this is what it looks like: protection of white supremacy baked deep into our carceral systems". "If someone is hurt, I'm running into harm's way. But I also have my med kit".
Kyle's lawyer, John Pierce of Los Angeles, and his mother Wendy Rittenhouse have recently been making news media appearances seeking donations for Kyle's bail.
Hours after being released, attorney L. Lin Wood, a member of Rittenhouse's defense team, tweeted a photo of Rittenhouse, Ricky Schroder and attorney John Pierce, under a title of "FREE AT LAST!" In a letter posted there, Wood called Rittenhouse a "political prisoner".
Schroder, an avid supporter of gun ownership and 30-year NRA member, said during an exclusive telephone interview with The Post that he's putting up "hundreds of thousands" of dollars for the bond and the 17-year-old's legal defense as he awaits trial on murder charges in the deaths of two protesters and the wounding of a third on August 25.
Schroder, along with My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell and others, paid Rittenhouse's $2 million bail.
The teen was open-carrying an AR-15 rifle, which he said he obtained from a friend in Wisconsin. Under Wisconsin law, minors are allowed to carry or possess a gun only if they are hunting.
Rittenhouse told police he was attacked while he was guarding a business and that he fired in self-defense. The New York Times has tracked Rittenhouse's movements via video footage on the night in question.
