Jury Trial Scheduled In Viral Shiloh Hendrix Playground Confrontation Case

ROCHESTER, MN — A Rochester woman accused of yelling racist slurs at an autistic child at Roy Sutherland Playground has been formally charged and is scheduled for a jury trial next year, according to newly filed court records.

A summons and complaint filed in Olmsted County charges Shiloh Marie Hendrix, 36, with three misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct for an April 28 confrontation at Soldier’s Field Park.

Hendrix is charged with three misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct, each carrying up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

A jury trial is set for Aug. 31, 2026, before Judge Pamela King.

According to the complaint, a bystander recorded part of the confrontation on his phone. That video was uploaded to social media, where it “was receiving significant attention,” investigators wrote.

Once the footage began circulating, the incident quickly moved beyond a local park dispute and entered broader debates over immigration, autism, and free speech.

What Police Say Happened

According to charging documents, the confrontation began when an 8-year-old boy, identified as Y.J., took an applesauce pouch from Hendrix’s diaper bag.

The child is “profoundly and visibly autistic,” and his father told officers he requires constant supervision.

Police say Hendrix chased the child on the playground equipment, yelled a racial slur at him several times, and took the food pouch back. The child froze when she shouted the slur, and his father said he feared she might hit him, the complaint states.

When a bystander began recording and confronted her, Hendrix admitted on video to using the slur, saying she could do so “if he acts like one,” according to the complaint. Investigators say she then cursed at the man, raised her middle finger, and repeated the same epithet.