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Monday, February 23, 2015

Man Charged in Racial Incident in Rapid City, SD

A man has been charged with disorderly conduct following an incident in which Native-American students and chaperones from the American Horse school were harassed at a Rapid City hockey game last month.

Trace O'Connell, 41, of Philip was charged following a month-long investigation by the Rapid City Police Department and Pennington County Sheriff Office.

If convicted, O'Connell could spend up to 30 days behind bars and a $500 fine.

The incident happened Jan. 24 at a Rapid City Rush hockey game at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. A chaperone with the school reported that the students were subjected to racial slurs and had beer sprayed on them.

On Wednesday, city and county officials met with the American Horse School to let them know what charges O'Connell would face. However, after a question-and-answer session, the situation grew chaotic and officials felt it was best to leave.

"For safety reasons, and out of concern for the school environment, the decision was made to depart from the gymnasium," said Rapid City Police Chief Karl Jegeris.

Jegeris later thanked the public for being patient while they investigated the incident. Recently, the community in Rapid City rallied calling for justice for the children.

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hip-hop has long decried the hyperpolicing of black neighborhoods along with police violence.


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