Priest River Man Convicted On Race Charge

A Priest River, Idaho, man was convicted Tuesday of racially harassing a black man in Newport.

Jason T. Kelly, 21, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree assault and disorderly conduct for hurling racial epithets and rocks at the man Saturday afternoon in the parking lot of his downtown office.

Witnesses said two of four youths who were with Kelly left when he began his racial tirade, and the other two left when he began throwing rocks.

The victim, who asked not to be identified, said he had to dodge one of the rocks but wasn’t struck. Pend Oreille County Prosecutor Tom Metzger said one witness intervened and another called Newport police.

Police said Kelly ran when officers approached him, but he stopped and surrendered at the request of his girlfriend.

District Court Judge Chuck Baechler sentenced Kelly to a year in jail for the assault charge and to 90 days for the disorderly conduct.

All but three days Kelly already had served were suspended. However, Metzger said Baechler took the unusual step of making the sentences consecutive. Kelly will be under supervision for two years and, “if there are any transgressions, he will find himself back in jail quite quickly,” the prosecutor said.

, DataTimes