The owner of an embattled Rapid City hotel was found guilty on charges of simple assault. The incident, dating back to 2022, orbits an attempt to ban people from a bar based solely on race.
Connie Uhre, 76, was found guilty on two assault charges Friday and acquitted on a third count.
The charges are based on South Dakota law where the definition of “assault” includes an attempt by physical menace or threat to put another in fear of imminent bodily harm, with or without the actual ability to harm another person.
Video of the incident, which has been widely circulated social media, shows Uhre spraying protesters with cleaner in May of 2022 which led to her initial arrest.
In 2022, Uhre posted on Facebook that she planned to “no longer allow any Native on property,” following the shooting death of 19-year-old Myron Pourier. This triggered months of protests.
The comments sparked an exodus of staff members from the business and a discrimination lawsuit from Rapid City-based indigenous advocacy group NDN Collective. That federal lawsuit is pending.
In testimony, a minor said Uhre sprayed cleaner into his mouth during the incident. In response, the defense argued the protest was an effort to harass the family and business. Arguing Uhre was not a physical threat to anyone, defense said she was aiming for cameras rather than people.
“This case is actually quite simple," Deputy Pennington County States Attorney Rachel Lindsay said in closing arguments. "She was mad, and she assaulted three people.”
Following four-and-a-half hours of deliberation, a six-man, six-woman jury agreed on two of those three counts.
Uhre faces a maximum penalty of a year in county jail and a $2,000 fine for each count.