Madeline Barker accused of HATE CRIME for pepper spraying Asian women is FREED after DA drops $20K bail
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: A woman from Florida has been accused of making racist remarks and pepper-spraying four Asian women in Manhattan in June. According to the New York Post, the woman was locked up after the incident and is now about to be released from prison after the prosecution agreed to drop her $20,000 bail.
On Wednesday, July 13, 2022, Madeline Barker's defense counsel and the district attorney's office submitted a fresh bail request, which Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Michele Rodney accepted. The request would have allowed the suspected disparager to be released on supervised probation.
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On June 11, 2022, while sporting a vibrant fuchsia dress, the 47-year-old woman from Merritt Island, Florida, started yelling, "Why don't you just go back to your country," at four Asian ladies. Barker was captured pepper spraying the women on camera.
Since her arrest, Barker has been detained on Rikers Island on counts of assault that were charged as hate crimes as she hasn't been able to post the $20,000 bail that was required. Since she lives outside of New York, she was also a flight risk.
The Women's Project, which is a community whose collaborative activity provides a substitute for pre-trial imprisonment and jail, will have custody of Barker as part of her revised bail arrangement. DA Alvin Bragg's office in Manhattan claimed that she is going to be subjected to stringent electronic surveillance.
When questioned by the judge if she comprehended the bargain in court on Wednesday, July 13, the accused attacker replied, "Yes, ma'am." By early evening on that very day, it was unclear if Barker had yet been let go from Rikers. After the hearing, her legal aid counsel opted not to respond.
Shortly after the terrifying incident, one of Barker's alleged victims, Nicole, spoke about it to the Post. The 24-year-old said that she assumed she would be safe in the middle of Chelsea during the daytime with numerous people around but that didn't turn out to be the case. "It is not safe going out in the city as an Asian person…It’s scary in New York," the graphic designer said.
Nicole stated that she and her three female friends were in Manhattan's Meatpacking District when the disturbed suspect approached them and yelled, "You're harassing me."
According to Nicole, Barker reportedly exacerbated the situation and pepper sprayed the ladies, and she turned to an Asian onlooker who she didn't know and yelled, "Take your b***hes back to where you all came from."
A spokesman from the DA's office said, “Through The Women’s Project, she will receive supportive housing so that her location will be known, regular check-ins, and accompaniment to each court appearance to ensure her return to court.”
Barker has pleaded not guilty to the accusations. Her next court appearance has been scheduled for October 27, 2022.