Ex-Howard County jailer gets probation for driving into protesters in 2020

KOKOMO — A former Indiana jail officer in Howard County accused of driving into a group of people in 2020 as they protested the killing of George Floyd, has been sentenced to probation, according to the Associated Press.

Christa Redman, 34, was sentenced to six months of supervised probation on Wednesday by a Howard County judge.

At the time of the incident, Redman was a correctional officer at the Howard County Jail in Kokomo. She resigned her position after charges were filed against her.

According to information from Kokomo Police and the Howard County Prosecutor, a group protesting the George Floyd killing was walking through the downtown area to Foster Park, which is just west of downtown Kokomo.

As the group crossed Washington Street, witnesses told investigators that a woman driving a pickup, later identified as Redman, went around other vehicles, drove into the pedestrians and kept going.

Redman was found a short distance away. She told police she was in the truck with her children and was scared when protesters yelled at her.

She told police that the protesters were "yelling and screaming at her and her children in the truck," according to an affidavit.

A Kokomo woman suffered an injury to her arm and hand after she grabbed a window of Redman's truck as she was falling to the ground, court documents state. A 17-year-old female also told police she was struck by Redman's vehicle, and authorities said she suffered an apparent knee injury.

Redman's attorneys argued Wednesday that she did not hit anyone.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.