Woman who spat on BLM protester rejects judge's leniency and chooses jail: report
A Wisconsin lawyer who was convicted of a misdemeanor when she spat on a Black racial justice protester in 2020 was offered leniency by a judge Tuesday – but she rejected it and chose to spend time in jail instead, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Stephanie Rapkin, 67, told the judge that a year of probation and 100 hours of community service was "not viable" and she'd "rather go to jail right now and take care of it."
Milwaukee County Judge Laura Crivello had said that giving Rapkin leniency would allow her to reintegrate back into the community.
In April, she was convicted of misdemeanor disorderly conduct. During her three-day trial, she repeatedly denied spitting on Black Lives Matter protester Eric Lucas during a heated confrontation that was caught on video during a protest march.
Last summer, she turned down a plea deal and allowed for the case to go to trial.
The criminal complaint said people were yelling at Rapkin to move her car which was blocking a street during a march. Lucas allegedly began chanting "I'm Black and I'm proud" with his friends as he approached Rapkin before she turned and spat on him.
The complaint says Rapkin's "saliva struck him in his face/mouth area and on the top of his shirt."
She was sentenced to 60 days in jail on Tuesday.