A Utah woman who targeted an interracial family in her community because two members were Black has been arrested after months of harassing the household.
She faces charges for two misdemeanors, including assaulting the pregnant mother by poking her in the stomach, and has since been taken into custody by authorities.
The Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake issued and executed a warrant for the arrest of Kathryn Smith, a resident of Midvale, on Tuesday, Dec. 12. The move was prompted after online clips posted by popular TikToker TizzyEnt went viral and garnered the attention of public officials, the press, and many on social media.
The activist, TizzyEnt, whose real name is R. Michael McWhorter, aimed to prompt authorities into action after Smith was filmed hurling racial slurs, including the N-word, at the family’s young son and verbally and physically assaulting the mother.
McWhorter noted that the woman had several outstanding warrants but was never arrested.
On the day of the arrest, she had at least five warrants for her arrest filed in Midvale Justice Court, including an arrest warrant issued on Jan. 18 for alleged failure to register an expired vehicle and one on Sept. 20 for alleged speeding.
The woman faces two misdemeanor charges, property damage/destruction, and assault, as per Salt Lake County records. These charges stem from her disorderly conduct, leading to a warrant issued on Aug. 8, and property damage and destruction, resulting in a warrant issued on Sept. 29 when she allegedly tore apart the garden of a different neighbor.
Additionally, she was apprehended in connection with a June incident, documented by the mother, in which she pushed and prodded the pregnant woman’s stomach.
Midvale’s mayor, who was outraged when he saw the footage, took to the X platform to give an update to his constituency on the harassment.
“Update: Kathryn Smith was taken into custody last night on her outstanding warrants. I’m hopeful that this is a positive step for the healing of the targeted family, the affected neighborhood, Ms. Smith, and our entire community,” posted Mayor Marcus Stevenson.
Smith was later released on a $1,000 bond.
Authorities say they are also working with social service providers in an effort to determine a long-term intervention plan that works for the family, Smith, and other parties impacted by the incident.
The family has hired a lawyer, Tyler Ayres, to represent them, noting that the woman has been violating their civil rights.
Ayres said that the woman’s actions can be considered criminal.
“Disturbing the peace, harassment, assault, battery, trespassing, all of these things — and we’re not even getting into the technical civil rights ones. Those are just basic common law claims,” Ayres said.
Ayres went on to say that this was the family’s first house and did not expect to encounter this type of drama.
“It’s very disheartening to them; it’s saddening to me,” Ayres continued.
Rae Duckworth, the chairperson of the Black Lives Matter Utah chapter, remarked on Smith’s erratic and bigoted behavior. Duckworth described the torment captured approximately 100 times on the family’s doorbell camera as “gut-wrenching.”
“It’s super gut-wrenching and heart-throbbing to see what this family is going through. So I can’t imagine what they’re actually experiencing,” Duckworth said, according to FOX 13 Now.
Ayres says this is becoming more traumatic for his client, and she wants it to stop.
“My client’s child is scared. My client is expecting a new baby, and all of this extra stress, including the violence that was meted out upon her when this woman poked her stomach, it’s done nothing to help her pregnancy. In fact, it’s pretty clear that it is hurting,” the attorney said in an interview with ABC News.
