Woman pleads not guilty to racial attack
An alleged white supremacist accused of stabbing a young black woman and a black man Thursday night behind a Palm Springs coffee shop pleaded not guilty Monday to all charges.
The Riverside County district attorney’s office also charged Mandie Kearns of Desert Hot Springs with wounding a third victim in addition to the two wounded during the street fight near the town’s weekly street fair.
A judge raised the bail for Kearns from $28,000 to $575,000 after the district attorney’s office charged Kearns with one count of attempted murder, three counts of assault with a deadly weapon, committing a hate crime and participating in a criminal street gang.
Kearns, who allegedly told police after the attack that she belonged to a white supremacist group, was arrested with a knife in her pocket, police said.
She faces several special allegations related to the weapon and her alleged relationship to the unnamed gang, which could increase her sentence if convicted.
Kearns, who has given her age as 28 and 31, will appear in court April 23 for a preliminary hearing.
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