Lake County Gazette

Lake County State's Attorney candidate Mary Cole has accused the current Lake County State's Attorney, Eric Rinehart, of breaking the law. "Voters will find him guilty in November," she stated in a July 22 Facebook post.

"Eric Rinehart broke the law and voters will find him guilty in November," said Cole, according to Facebook.

In her post, Cole shared a link to a Lake McHenry County Scanner report, alleging that Rinehart committed a crime by failing to report a crash involving his county-issued vehicle. According to the report, the incident occurred on January 12 at Rinehart's home in Highland Park. The 2017 Ford Explorer sustained more than $6,000 in damage after allegedly striking a fire hydrant. Further, the article notes that neither the Highland Police Department nor the Highwood Police Department received an incident report regarding this crash, based on emails from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Screenshot of Mary Cole for Lake County State's Attorney July 22 Facebook post | Mary Cole for Lake County State's Attorney Facebook page

On July 18, Cole released another statement on her Facebook page detailing the law allegedly broken by Rinehart. She cited a July 10 news release stating that "Under Illinois Law, it is a Class A misdemeanor not to file an accident report when damaging property belonging to others, including units of government such as the City of Highland Park." Additionally, she mentioned that Lake County policy mandates any vehicle collision requires an immediate call to 911 to complete a police report and notify the County Administrator with immediate documentation of the damage through photographs. "Eric Rinehart neglected to fulfill all of his obligations," Cole said.

Cole also urged Rinehart to go to the City of Highland Park and file a police report and explain why he failed to follow the law for more than six months.

Cole, a former assistant state’s attorney in Lake County and partner at Brady Cole Trial Lawyers, has emphasized her commitment to addressing issues like low morale and inadequate attorney training in the office during her campaign for the November 2024 election. She has experience in both prosecution and defense with a strong track record in handling cases involving DUIs (Driving Under Influence), domestic battery, and orders of protection.