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Minnesota woman guilty of assaulting non-English speaker

ANOKA, Minn. – A Minnesota woman has pleaded guilty to assault for attacking another woman in a restaurant because she was speaking Swahili.

Jodie Burchard-Risch was at an Applebee’s in Coon Rapids last year when she smashed her glass beer mug in Asma Jama’s face, causing significant injuries. A criminal complaint said Burchard-Risch became upset before the attack because Jama wasn’t speaking English.

The 44-year-old Burchard-Risch pleaded guilty Monday to third-degree assault.

Jama told reporters she was happy with the guilty plea.

Under the plea deal, Burchard-Risch will face 180 days in jail and five years of probation. If she violates probation, she could spend about three years in prison. She’ll be sentenced in December.

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