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Terrence J. Skeen has been charged with one count of battery, a single count of disorderly conduct, and a single count of assault in Overland Park Municipal Court, stemming from an incident where he spit on a Black child at Hooters.
Skeen has been given a court date of April 3, 2018.
The misdemeanor charges stem from allegations that Skeen spat on a three-year-old little boy while hurling racial slurs.
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Now that Skeen has been charged, this matter has also reportedly been referred to the FBI.
And there is also new information regarding Skeen‘s employment.
“Due to some inaccurate reports regarding the employment of Mr. Skeen, it should be noted that he is not, and has never been, an employee of the City of Overland Park or its Fire Department,” said Sean Reilly, Overland Park Communications Manager.
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What happened at Hooters
A Black child who attended a birthday party with family and friends at a Hooters restaurant in Kansas was spit upon and called the N-word by Skeen, who witnesses say told police officers that he was a firefighter.
The child’s grandfather, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, spoke to KCTV5 and said he was in disbelief.
“My whole body just went numb,” he said. “How could someone do that to a child? He’s a baby. He’s helpless. He didn’t deserve that.”
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After the racist incident, Overland Park police officers were called to the Hooters restaurant and that’s when witnesses heard the man claim that he was a firefighter.
“I didn’t catch what the officer said to him, but his immediate response was ‘It’s ok, I’m a fireman,’ like that was supposed to blanket cover everything for him,” the witness stated.
Hooters received immediate backlash over the incident and released a statement condemning the man’s actions.
“Hooters does not tolerate any harassment or discriminatory language, the safety and well-being of our guests and employees are our utmost priorities. Of course, it goes without saying that our policy is to fully cooperate with any law enforcement investigation.”