St Louis Police Judy Kline has been arrested in a racist attack on a family in St. Louis, Missouri, officials say.
Judy Kline is the woman accused of racist attacks on a family in St. Louis, Missouri, in incidents caught on video that went viral on TikTok in February 2023, according to court records and police.
Kline, 54, was charged on February 8, 2023, with first-degree burglary, first-degree property damage and unlawful use of a weapon, which are all felony charges, according to Missouri court records viewed by Heavy. The charges stem from an incident in January 2022, court records show.
But the family who owns the home where the incident occurred said in a series of TikTok videos that the harassment has been ongoing for several months. According to KMOV, the family obtained a restraining order against Kline, but she has continued to come to their house, including in late January.
Fatima Suarez, who posted the videos on TikTok, told KMOV, “I just don’t want her to hurt my family again or have the opportunity to hurt other families.” Suarez, whos parents and 5-year-old sister live in the home, posted the videos on February 6. The videos went viral and were amplified by Michael McWhorter, aka TizzyEnt, a popular TikTok user and activist who often exposes people accused of racism.
Suarez told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “We don’t feel safe, but we feel a little relief that if she comes back now she’ll finally be arrested and treated seriously. It’s just messed up that it had to take a video to go viral for them to actually take it seriously. If the video would have never gone viral, it would have still been put to the side.”
Here’s what you need to know about Judy Kline:
1. In the Ring Doorbell Videos Posted to TikTok, a Woman Identified by Police as Judy Kline Can Be Heard Saying ‘You’re a Bunch of Illegals, Get Out’
In a video posted by Fatima Suarez, which has more than four million views on TikTok, she said, “I’m getting tired of this racist creep going to my parents’ house and trying to break in. And the justice system won’t do anything to stop her. … Have in mind she already showed up with a weapon and this is the 6th time she shows up.”
Suarez’s video is taken from a Ring doorbell camera. The video shows a woman identified by St. Louis Police as Judy Kline knocking on the Suarezs’ door. In another video, Kline can be heard saying, “I’m getting away with it because I’m American and it’s my property.” After banging on the door, Kline can be heard saying, “Show me some legal paperwork because I know you didn’t buy this house you don’t have enough money.”
Kline can be heard saying in the video that she is an “American citizen angry at you a*******.” In another video posted by Suarez, Kline can be heard yelling into the Ring camera, “Illegals living here, get out you’re a bunch of illegals, you don’t belong on my property, get out.” And in another, “You’re not American, get off of my property.”
The Post-Dispatch, citing a probable cause statement, said Kline used a hammer to break into the basement of the home by smashing glass on a door. She then damaged a door and dryer with the hammer in the basement, the Post-Dispatch reports.
The newspaper wrote, “Suarez’s father was home with his 4-year-old daughter at the time. When he saw Kline in the basement, she yelled insults at him while holding the hammer over her head, according to charging documents. ”
2. The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office Said Police Applied for an Arrest Warrant in 2022, but the Case Wasn’t Flagged as Urgent
1/ Statement by the Circuit Attorney’s Office
“The Circuit Attorney’s Office works closely with the police to hold individuals accountable for criminal behavior.” (cont.)
The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office said in a February 7 statement about the delay in charges being filed against Kline, “The Circuit Attorney’s Office works closely with the police to hold individuals accountable for criminal behavior. When cases are submitted by police, the SLMPD determines the public safety threat to evaluate whether the case should be reviewed within 24 hours of the application for an arrest warrant.”
The statement added, “The CAO has elevated the warrant application related to this case, and is awaiting the video evidence that was not initially submitted, and that is now circulating on the Internet. If anyone has additional information, we ask them to contact the police or our office.”
Allison Hawk, a spokesperson for the circuit attorney’s office, added in a statement to KSDK that the police didn’t flag the case as urgent, but should have because the suspect was armed with a hammer. They also didn’t classify her as a ” “serious, persistent offender,” Hawk told the news station.
St. Louis Police Sergeant Charles Wall told KMOX, “In three of those occasions, our department has prepared incident reports. Our department has either arrested an individual or, I believe in one instance, an individual was issued a summons to appear in city court and then released on that summons.” She was arrested on January 5, 2022, but released from custody, Wall said.
3. Kline’s Last Known Address Is Near the Suarez’s Home & She Has Also Lived in Festus, Missouri, Court Records Show
Kline’s last known arrest is listed in court records as being on Jamieson Street, blocks away from the Suarez family’s home on Lisette Avenue. But neighbors there told KMOV that Kline abruptly moved out in the summer of 2022.
According to the Post-Dispatch, Suarez said her parents bought their home about six years ago and had never seen Kline before she showed up for the first time in January 2022. Suarez said her parents are originally from Mexico. Property records show apparent relatives of Kline owned the home for several years, but sold it more than 30 years ago, the Post-Dispatch reports.
Court records show Kline has also lived in Festus, Missouri, in Jefferson County. She was the subject of a domestic court case related to child support in 2002, records show. There are also two Jefferson County probate cases from 2006 when she was deemed to be disabled or incapacitated and a guardian ad litem was appointed to represent her, court records show.
In 2012, she was sued in Jefferson County court over child support, court records show. She was ordered to pay $50 per month in support for her two children along with health insurance, records show.
4. Judy Kline’s Facebook Page Includes Rants About North Korea, China, Joe Biden & the Government
Judy Kline’s Facebook page shows several posts from 2020 that include political rants about her support for former President Donald Trump in his race against President Joe Biden, along with attacks on the government, immigrants and Asian and Chinese people, several that appear to have been inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic, which she referred to in multiple posts as the “Asian flu.”
She posted in August 2020 while sharing an article about NBA star LeBron James’ plans to campaign for Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, “WAS SHE ONE OF YOUR LADIES??? WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE CHINESE COMMUNIST GOVERNMENT??? HOW MANY CHINESE COMMUNIST SOLDIERS DO YOU AND HARRIS ACTUALLY HAVE?? WHAT WOULD ACTUALLY HAPPEN TO AMERICA IF THE CHINESE COMMUNIST GOVERNMENT TOOK OVER IF HARRIS AND BIDEN WON???? TRUMP 2020!!!!”
In another post she wrote, “WE DO NOT NEED NOR WANT THE GOVERNMENT TO GIVE MONEY TO CLOSE DOWN PROFITABLE BUSINESSES THAT HAVE GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT! OR TO GIVE AWAY MONEY TO OTHER COUNTRIES TO OPEN BUSINESSES TO TAKE THE PLACE OF A PROFITABLE AMERICAN BUSINESS THAT EMPLOYS AMERICANS!! THIS IS WHY A BUSINESS PLAN BECAUSE YOU DO NOT WANT A FOREIGN COUNTRY AND THEIR PEOPLE ON YOUR LAND MAKING A PROFIT WITH FOREIGN EMPLOYEES OVER AMERICAN EMPLOYEES!!”
She shared an article about Harris and wrote, “AMERICAN LANGUAGE IS ENGLISH WRITTEN AND SPOKEN NOT CHINESE! SHE WILL STEAL YOUR CHILDREN AND TEACH THEM CHINESE!!! JUST SAY NO TO CHINESE! JUST SAY NO TO BIDEN AND HARRIS!! VOTE TRUMP 2020!!!”
5. Warrants Have Been Issued for Kline’s Arrest, but She Has Not Been Taken Into Custody Yet, Police Say
Judy Anne Kline is not in custody, according to the St. Louis Police and court records. When she is arrested, she will not be eligible for bond until she makes her first court appearance, according to online records.
According to the Post-Dispatch, the Suarez family applied for a restraining order against Kline on December 13, 2022, but it wasn’t served until February 1, 2023, when she returned to their house, because her current address could not be found. A hearing on the restraining order has been scheduled for February 15, court records show.
Fatima Suarez told KMOV, “Every time the ring sounds for my phone, I immediately look at it, my family doesn’t feel comfortable to open the windows or curtains. I don’t know why the justice system doesn’t take it seriously, I really didn’t think it would go viral like it did, and now look, they’re finally doing something about it.”