Staff reports 5:10 a.m.
Thursday, December 30, 2021 5:09 am
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CONCORD - A Strafford County Superior Court found a Dover woman guilty of violating the state's Civil Rights Act on Wednesday in connection with a May incident in which she threatened a young black boy who had accidentally broken her son's toy in a neighborhood park.
As part of the court order, Kristina Graper, 51, is prohibited from contacting the victim and the victim's family, and from knowingly coming within 250 feet of the victim and the victim's family. The court also imposed a $2,500 civil penalty with $2,000 suspended for a period of three years conditioned upon compliance with the order.
According to the court's decision, Graper threatened physical force against the victim, a nine-year-old boy, when she threatened to "kneel on his neck" - an obvious reference to the killing of George Floyd in May 2020 - and called him a racial slur after he accidentally broke a toy that belonged to her son. The court concluded that this conduct was motivated by the victim's race and had the purpose to terrorize or coerce the victim. The court reached its conclusion after the defendant defaulted by not filing a response to the Attorney General's complaint.
The court's order shall remain in effect for three years but may be extended by order of the court upon motion of the Attorney General.
Anyone who believes their civil rights may have been violated may file a complaint at https://www.doj.nh.gov/civil-rights/index.htm or by calling 603-271-3650.