74-year-old North Dakota man sentenced to 2 years for choking Black girl who played in his driveway

Angel Saunders
·2 min read
basketball
basketball

Larry Wayne Baldner of Fargo, North Dakota has been sentenced to two years in jail for assault and racist behavior. On Sept. 21, 2021, the 74-year-old white male got into a confrontation with several neighborhood kids and reportedly physically attacked two Black siblings, choking one who was 11 years old.

In an article published yesterday (April 5) by Black Enterprise, the outlet noted Baldner has already pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, a Class C felony, and simple assault, a misdemeanor. Cass County Judge Susan Bailey sentenced him on Monday (April 3). The altercation began when five children were playing basketball in a driveway he shares with his North Dakota neighbors in the 2700 block of 33rd ½ Avenue South. He yelled for the children to get out of his driveway and shouted racial slurs at them.

Baldner allegedly told two of the five, who happen to be sisters, that their “skin is the color of s**t.” Records state that he also called them “n**gers” and “b**ches” before the verbal attacks turned physical. The North Dakota resident then slapped the 11-year-old in her face, but the assault didn’t stop there. Baldner also grabbed the girl by her neck and lifted her from the ground as he choked her. The child’s sister tried her best to stop the menace from harming her sibling by hitting him. This allowed the girl to break free, but Baldner had already pulled some of her hair out.

A neighbor told responding officers he saw Baldner lift the young girl by her neck. The elderly man sustained minor cuts and road rashes to his elbows and knees from the altercation. He was also uncooperative and confrontational during his arrest and is said to have cursed at the police who handcuffed him. Joshua Traiser, a prosecutor for the case, said, “Baldner unnecessarily belittled the children by using racial epithets at the time of his attack. A significant term of incarceration is necessary to hold Baldner accountable and to send a message that this court and this community takes radicalized violence seriously.”

Trending Stories