A white man accused of kicking a 1-year-old black child in the back
and yelling racial slurs in a Wichita grocery store bonded out of jail
several hours after his arrest Sunday.
Now, the boy’s mother and grandmother say they fear that with the man back on the streets, another child could be attacked.
“I don’t understand: He’s out
just hours after he attacked a baby,” said Yolanda Frierson, grandmother
of 1-year-old Jhavii Fry.
“He could attack someone else’s kid... if he’s out and he’s everywhere,” said Jhavii’s mother, Lashantai Whitaker.
The man police arrested — Trace Riff, 31 — has a history of mental
illness, homelessness, not reporting to parole officers, drug use and
violent crimes, records show. He is on probation in Oklahoma for a
felony meth charge.
In an interview Thursday
afternoon, Whitaker recalled what happened around 7:20 Sunday morning:
The family had just stepped into the Dillons grocery store at Douglas
and Hillside. The 29-year-old Whitaker, who is pregnant and due to give
birth in a couple months, was walking just ahead of her 11-year-old
daughter, who was holding the hand of 1-year-old Jhavii. “It happened so
fast,” she said.
Whitaker heard a thud. Her daughter screamed that a man had kicked her brother.
The man kicked her son from behind with his cowboy boot, causing the boy to fall face down, she said.
The man tried to leave the store but bystanders tackled him and held him until police arrived, she recalled.
The man went on a rant, Whitaker said, yelling the “N word” and saying he was a white supremacist.
“He sounded like a madman.”
Her son, who will turn 2 in June, began to scream, Whitaker said. “He’s never cried or screamed that loud” before.
A Wichita police report says the incident was classified as a case of
“battery” and “resist” where the man was suspected of using alcohol. A
“personal weapon,” which would include a boot, was involved, the report
said.
Riff was arrested and booked into
the Sedgwick County jail on Sunday on suspicion of ethnic intimidation,
battery and resisting police, an arrest report says.
Hours later, around 3:30 p.m.,
Riff was released from jail on his own recognizance, meaning he was
released without making a payment. If he doesn’t show up to future court
appearances, he will have to pay $3,500. Riff does not have any special
bond conditions, sheriff’s Lt. Tim Myers said.
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I don't even know where to start with this story. I'm still waiting for a child abuse charge to be added. This is terrible and looking at his criminal background he does not belong in these streets. I really hope justice is served for this child and his family.
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