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(Reuters) - Kyle Rittenhouse, the U.S. teenager charged with fatally shooting two people during protests in Wisconsin last August, can remain free on bond and need not publicly disclose his whereabouts, a judge ruled on Thursday, denying prosecutors' requests.
Prosecutors had accused Rittenhouse, 18, of violating his $2 million bond by not informing the court of his address. They had asked a Kenosha County, Wisconsin, judge to increase his bond by $200,000 and issue a warrant for his arrest.
Rittenhouse's lawyers argued that safety concerns necessitated a move to a "safe house" and for him to conceal his whereabouts.
Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder said concerns for Rittenhouse's safety were legitimate and that he wanted to avoid the risk of further unrest in the region.
"You remember what went on six months ago. I've got two broken windows here, right here in this courtroom, the doors are all still covered with plywood, a good share of the community is still boarded up," Schroeder told a hearing.
Schroeder said he did not have the authority under the law to issue an arrest warrant for Rittenhouse, and told the teenager's lawyer to disclose his address under seal to the court. He also denied prosecutors' request to hike his bail.
Rittenhouse had traveled on Aug. 25 from his home in nearby Antioch, Illinois, in a self-appointed role to protect businesses in Kenosha where the police shooting of Jacob Blake had sparked large protests against police brutality and racism.
He has been charged in Kenosha County with first-degree homicide and five other criminal counts related to the shootings, in which two people were killed and a third was wounded.
Rittenhouse's legal team has said their client, who is white, feared for his life when he fired his semi-automatic rifle, and have indicated they plan to argue self-defense.
Rittenhouse was extradited in late October to Kenosha to face the charges.
(Reporting by Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut; Editing by Howard Goller and Daniel Wallis)
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