Felony Threats Charge Linked to Rochester Racist Slur Video

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A felony charge has been filed against a South Carolina man accused of threatening Olmsted County prosecutors after charges were filed against a former Rochester woman who was seen uttering a racial slur in a viral video recorded at a park in Rochester earlier this year.

According to the criminal complaint filed against 25-year-old Austin James Garlington, the Olmsted County Attorney’s Office received many phone calls from across the world in the days following the announcement that 35-year-old Shiloh Marie Hendrix had been charged with three counts of misdemeanor disorderly conduct in connection with the incident at Soldiers Field Park in April. The court document says the volume of calls led to a decision to stop answering the phone and allow the calls to go to voicemail.

READ MORE: Viral Video of Racist Slur Incident Leads to Criminal Charges

Prosecutors Overwhelmed With Calls After Viral Video Case

The voicemails were later reviewed by city staff and led to the discovery of a message containing an explicit threat. The criminal complaint says the expletive-filled voicemail was from a man who stated that he would travel to Minnesota and Rochester and “will start murdering every last one of you!” The court document says the message was left on the voicemail system on the morning of August 27 and was followed by several more messages from the same caller through the next day.

Investigators Trace Threat to South Carolina Resident

The charging document says investigators checked phone records and identified Garlington as the caller. The criminal complaint says South Carolina law enforcement visited his home and informed him that he would be hearing from Minnesota authorities. A detective from the Rochester Police Department then called Garlington using the phone number that was used to leave the threatening messages. According to the charges, Garlington indicated that he “was upset that Hendrix had been charged with a crime” but agreed he would stop calling the county attorney’s office.

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He has been charged with a felony count of threats of violence and two counts of gross misdemeanor harassment. His first court appearance in Olmsted County has been scheduled for next May.

Hendrix Disorderly Conduct Case Heads Toward Trial

The criminal case against Hendrix is currently scheduled to go to trial next August. The disorderly conduct criminal complaint against her is based on a social media video that attracted millions of views and worldwide media attention. It shows Hendrix being confronted for allegedly directing a racist slur at a young child and then repeating the slur multiple times during the video recording.

READ MORE: Woman Confronted at Rochester Playground Over Racial Slur 

The court document says the incident occurred after an 8-year-old boy took an applesauce pouch from a diaper bag belonging to Hendrix. The court document describes the child as “profoundly and visibly autistic.”