Idaho Man Accused Of Slapping, Calling Toddler The N-Word On Airplane

You know how sometimes your grandmother will say something wildly offensive, and you’ll think, “Jesus, this isn’t 1950. That’s not okay anymore.” Well, this story is kind of like that concept stretched almost as far on the spectrum of overt racism as possible.

Earlier this month, Jessica Bennett and her nineteen-month-old son were on a plane when the toddler got a little too worked up and started crying. The child’s neighbor, business executive Joe Rickey Hundley, wasn’t too pleased about the crying, but instead of silently being annoyed like a decent human being, he allegedly responded like a racist stereotype from the 1870s, slapping the child in the head and telling its mother to “shut (her) n***er baby up”.

You can take a look at Mr. Hundley in the mugshot below…

An attorney for Hundley, who has since been suspended from his job, told KARE 11 that observers should not rush to judgment about what happened, but given the nature of the situation, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that many people have. In fact, much of the community is furious about how someone could allegedly be so hateful.

The Bennett family reportedly told the police Hundley was visibly intoxicated and may have even been drinking before he got onto the plane. He hasn’t spoken publically about whether that or any of these other allegations are true, but he has been formally charged with assault.