Woman barred from contacting Latino family she allegedly harassed in viral Ring video
Written by ABC Audio All Rights Reserved on February 15, 2023
(ST. LOUIS) — A court granted a St. Louis family an order of protection on Wednesday against a woman charged with harassing the family for over a year.
Judy Kline, 54, did not appear in court virtually or in person, according to Joel Currier, a media liaison for the Judicial Circuit Court in Missouri.
One of the family members, Guadalupe Rivera-Gonzalez, testified virtually, alleging that Kline came to their house several times since January 2022. Rivera-Gonzalez said Kline threatened her family with a hammer and claimed that she and her family are not U.S. citizens, according to Currier. The family is Mexican American.
The protection order prevents Kline from coming within 300 feet of the family’s residence, car, workplace, or “any place they may be found.” It also bars Kline from stalking, abusing or molesting the family, communicating with them, and from entering their property.
The family’s daughter Fatima Suarez posted Ring camera videos of the alleged encounters with Kline on TikTok, gaining millions of views. The footage appears to show a woman yelling into the camera, going through their mail and making racist remarks towards the family.
Last week, the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s office said in a statement that it “elevated the warrant application related to this case.” Kline was criminally charged with three felonies: burglary, property damage and unlawful use of a weapon.
In the Ring camera footage, Kline yells, “What the hell are you doing in my home,” according to a probable cause statement sent to ABC News by the circuit attorney’s office.
Suarez said in her testimony that Kline continued the harassment earlier this month.
“You’re not American, get off of my property,” Kline can be heard saying in one of the videos that Suarez posted. In another video, Kline said, “Did you have something to do with 9/11?”
In one incident, Kline allegedly used a hammer to break into the basement door window by breaking the glass on the door, according to the probable cause statement. Suarez said her father and then-4-year-old sister were in the house during the alleged break-in.
“The victim stated that once inside, [Kline] yelled insults at him, while holding the hammer over her head,” the probable cause statement said, referring to the father.
Fatima Suarez previously told ABC News, “I’ll do anything to protect [my parents] and I don’t want them to ever feel uncomfortable in their own home.”
The full order of protection against Kline is effective through Feb. 14, 2024.
Kline did not respond to multiple attempts by ABC News to reach her. Attorney information for Kline was not immediately available.
The Suarez family and their attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Brittany Gaddy contributed to this report.
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