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Sophia Rosing, a white student at the University of Kentucky is facing several assault charges after being recorded hurling a racial slur and physically attacking a Black student Sunday on campus, a university police report says.
The 22-year-old student has been charged with alcohol intoxication in a public place, fourth-degree assault without visible injury, second-degree disorderly conduct, and third-degree assault on a police officer or probation officer, according to Kimberly Baird, the Fayette County Commonwealth’s Attorney.
According to CNN, an officer with the University of Kentucky police responded early Sunday morning to a dorm after reports that an unknown woman was “assaulting staff members,” a campus police report shows.
When the officer arrived, they detained a “very intoxicated” woman who was repeating a racist expletive to a group of Black women, the report says.
That bourbon turned Sophia Rosing into Kentucky Karen
Rosing can be heard in the viral video saying the n-word more than 200 times and swinging at a dorm employee. How she didn’t receive hands is anyones guess, but the professionalism and restraint by victim #KylahSpring has been applauded by those who are equally enraged.
Patricia Luna, who witnessed the incident in the dorm, told WKYT, “I heard a slap and then I heard racial slurs and I was like, ‘That’s not okay so I’m not gonna leave and I’m gonna pull out my phone so I can record. The girl that was being harassed, she handled that so beautifully. She was always so professional and kind and didn’t turn to violence even though Sophia gave her every single reason to want to fight back.”
The drunk Karen told officers she “has lots of money and get[s] special treatment,” the police report said. When told to sit back in a chair, she kicked the arresting officer and bit their hand, the police report said.
The report identifies the woman as “unknown” because she had no identification and continuously refused to identify herself. Rosing was initially booked as a Jane Doe in the Kentucky Department of Corrections’ records.
As of Monday afternoon, Rosing was detained and her bail was set at $10,000. Rosing appeared in court Monday and entered a not guilty plea, according to CNN affiliate WLEX.
University of Kentucky said in a statement, “Early this morning, a disturbing incident was captured on video in a residence hall. The video is deeply offensive, and we take it very seriously. Our Office of Student Conduct also is conducting an immediate review, and our Student Success teams are reaching out to the student victims who were subject to this behavior to offer support.”
University of Kentucky students came together in the aftermath of the attack, disavowing the all-encompassing racism Karen’s like Rosing spread without aim or provocation.
Powerful moment at the March Against Racism on UK’s campus, as Kylah addresses Sophia Rosing.@WKYT pic.twitter.com/KqAgDaRMNj
— Jeremy Tombs (@jeremy_tombs) November 8, 2022
With Ye and Kyrie’s livelihood threatened over recent claims of Anti-Semitism, Rosing is now too being forcefully removed from brands and associations over her deliberate and brazen hate speech.
Prior to Sunday’s attack, Rosing had a brand ambassador deal with College Fashionista, and Dillard’s department store as apart of Dillard’s Campus Collective program. However, Dillard’s has since said in a social media comment that they have cut ties with Rosing after the incident and College Fashionista has dropped her as well.
Dillards does not condone this behavior. Her relationship with Dillard’s has been terminated immediately.
— Dillard’s (@Dillards) November 6, 2022
According to Heavy, Rosing was released from custody Monday night, November 7, after appearing in court and pleading not guilty, records show. She was initially booked into the jail under the name Jane Doe, but university officials confirmed her identity. Rosing is not allowed to drink alcohol and is barred from contacting Spring or going to Boyd Hall while free on bail, according to court records.
They wear the hoods in public now
Once released from jail, Rosing appeared with a paper covering her face just before her mother would quickly shield her from a reporter, cloaking her daughter’s head in a jacket. Silence would continue as both parents whisked her away into the night as they ignored reporter questions and expressed no regret.
UK student caught on video taunting & berating another student with racial slurs is out of jail. LEX18 INVESTIGATES was there as Sophia Rosing left the jail but she’s not talking. Her parents picked her up after she bonded out. We still had questions for her. @LEX18News pic.twitter.com/8M0oBteUAk
— Leigh Searcy (@LSearcLex) November 8, 2022
If convicted of third-degree assault, a class D felony, Sophia Rosing faces between one to five years in prison, according to Kentucky state law. The other charges, including fourth-degree assault, are misdemeanors. Kentucky does have a hate crime law, but it was not immediately clear if that would apply in this case. The hate crime law is a sentencing enhancement a judge can add if a person is found guilty of a crime, but it is not a separate charge in Kentucky, according to state law.
All I can say is this, “People act out when intoxicated. However, I do not believe that they say and/or do things that are not already part of the their make up. Therefore, this woman’s racism showed itself, front and center in this event. Never in a million years could I imagine that I would ever speak to someone this way, no matter how drunk I was because it’s just not who I am.