DeKalb laundromat employee accused of telling Black woman she ‘should not have a white kid’: Police

DeKalb woman charged with hate crime after incident reported at Third Street Laundry

Amy K. Kennedy, 48, of the 300 block of East Lincoln Highway in DeKalb, is charged with a hate crime, a class 4 felony, and misdemeanor disorderly conduct from the alleged incident which occurred Wednesday, July 6, 2022 at Third Street Laundry, 141 S. Third St. (Inset provided by DeKalb County Jail, courthouse photo by Mark Black for Shaw Local)

SYCAMORE – An employee of a DeKalb laundromat is accused of telling a woman who’s Black that she “should not have a white kid” and using racial slurs, according to DeKalb County court records.

Amy K. Kennedy, 48, of the 300 block of East Lincoln Highway in DeKalb, is charged with hate crime, a Class 4 felony, and misdemeanor disorderly conduct from the alleged incident which occurred Wednesday at Third Street Laundry, 141 S. Third St., records show. Kennedy, who is white, is an employee of the laundromat, records state.

According to court records, DeKalb police were called to the laundromat shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday for reports of disorderly conduct. A DeKalb woman, who is Black, told police that Kennedy harassed her, calling her racial slurs and said “an [expletive] Black woman should not have a white kid,” according to records.

The woman told police Kennedy called her a racial slur and alleged Kennedy told her she was “not allowed to have certain things because she is Black,” according to records.

Kennedy is accused of harassing the woman and attempting to pull an accompanying child, an 8-year-old, away from her.

According to court records, police reported that the girl told officers she was scared to go back into the building because Kennedy grabbed her.

Court records state that police spoke with Kennedy after the incident. During that conversation, Kennedy allegedly referred to the woman victim as “that thing,” according to records.

A witness, a Chicago woman who was on the phone with the victim during the incident, told police she could hear someone yelling at the victim and could not make out what was said.

At the time of her arrest, Kennedy was on probation for a felony conviction of domestic battery out of DeKalb County, court officials said Friday during a bond hearing in front of Circuit Court Judge Marcy Buick.

According to court records, Kennedy was charged on April 9, 2018, with domestic battery and pleaded guilty on June 3, 2021, in front of Buick. She was sentenced by Buick to 24 months of probation and court-ordered substance abuse treatment, a domestic violence class and mental health treatment.

Kennedy was represented on the hate crime charge Friday by attorney Michelle Dietrich of the DeKalb County Public Defender’s Office. Dietrich asked Buick to release Kennedy on a recognizance no-cash bond.

“It’s my understanding that she’s been cooperative for her sentences that she’s serving for her probation,” Dietrich said. “Certainly the courts could impose areas of exclusion where Ms. Kennedy would not be allowed to go. ... So I would ask the court therefore to authorize her release with those types of conditions which would certainly protect the community.”

Buick issued a $15,000 recognizance bond for Kennedy and ruled that she be placed on a restricted electronic home monitoring device. Buick also ruled that Kennedy be prohibited from having contact with the victim and barred from entering Third Street Laundry until further court order.

Kennedy said she is an employee of the laundromat and would lose her job if she was barred entry.

Kennedy is expected to appear for a status hearing on the charges at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 9.

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