Ex-Model Jailed For Kicking Black Toddler, Uttering Racial Slurs In Kansas Grocery Store

A former model was sentenced to 32 months in prison Thursday for kicking an African American toddler and uttering racial slurs at a Kansas grocery store. Trace Riff, 33, was charged with aggravated battery, disorderly conduct, unlawful abuse of toxic vapors and possession of methamphetamine.

In May 2019, Riff pleaded guilty to the charges from the Dec. 27, 2018, incident. According to the mother of the victim, Riff kicked her 1-year-old son in a Wichita grocery store as the boy’s sister was leading him through the store, KAKE-TV reported. The force of the kick caused the child to fall on the floor, and Riff began yelling obscenities and racial slurs. An employee tackled Riff and other workers held him on the ground until police arrived, the Wichita Eagle reported.

“Mr. Riff has a long history of declining mental health probably precipitated by extensive drug use,” Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said in May 2019. “So there is an option under the law to send someone to Larned (State Hospital) for the presentence investigation.”

The grandmother and mother of the victim told local media they worry Riff could attack someone else’s child. "I don't understand," Yolanda Frierson, the grandmother of Jhavii Fry, said after the incident. "He's out just hours after he attacked a baby."

Right after the incident, the victim's mother shared about what happened on her Facebook account: "My son jhavii was kicked in his back by a white supremacist man this morning at dillons. I just wanna say thank you so much to the man and worker that tackled him to the ground before he could get away and to the other staff who also intervened to help hold him down until police came. Thanks to the emts who were very caring and made sure to do a full detail check on my baby, to the police who made sure to press every charge possible, and especially the dillons staff and manager for caring and doing everything possible to make sure we were ok. I'm still in a daze, because it could have went so many different ways, he could have had a weapon. It just reminds you of how scary it is to raise black children. Makes you want to keep your children sheltered and in a bubble," Lashantai Whitaker wrote.