As of Tuesday, she had raised over $800,000 on the Christian fundraising platform GiveSendGo — including many donations that came in after the charges were announced — with a stated goal of $1 million. In her last update, in June, the woman claimed she was the victim of “silly misinformation.”
“Big things are happening regarding our future,” she wrote. “Life-changing events are at play, and we have all of YOU to thank for that! I won’t go into specifics, but just know that all is well on our end. ... Keep standing up for yourselves, and keep fighting for the First Amendment!”
The woman was charged by summons with three counts of disorderly conduct. Each count carries a maximum potential penalty of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, though actual sentences in Minnesota tend to be lighter. Her arraignment was set for Oct. 29.
While the complaint lists a Rochester address for the defendant, it wasn’t immediately clear if she was still living there, given her stated intention to relocate. The complaint indicated that police attempts to make contact with her were unsuccessful. Court records said she was representing herself.
Initial reports said the young victim was 5 years old, but the criminal complaint said he was 8. The child’s father told police his son is autistic, and due to his disability, he doesn’t understand typical social boundaries and requires intensive parental supervision. At some point while at the park in Rochester, the child took an applesauce pouch from someone else’s diaper bag, it said.
The father saw this and chased him to try to retrieve the food pouch. The defendant also saw it and chased the child, who climbed on playground equipment to try to get away. She repeatedly called him the racial epithet, the complaint said, and grabbed the food item from him.
A different person, who recorded the confrontation on his phone, asked her why she used the slur. The complaint said she admitted to using it and said she could “if he acts like one.” When pressed, the complaint said, she turned her anger to the witness, called him the same epithet, and when confronted about her “hate speech,” she used expletives to indicate she didn’t care.
