Two White Boaters Plead Guilty in Montgomery Riverfront Brawl; Woman Ordered to Complete Anger Management Classes

Pair avoids jail time as male defendant receives four-month suspended sentence and community service for assaulting Black riverboat co-captain in racially-charged incident; cases involving three other defendants postponed until November.

Two white boaters in the Alabama riverfront brawl, which gained national attention in August, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of harassment and assault. The brawl reportedly began when the boaters refused to move their pontoon boat to allow the city-owned Harriott II riverboat to dock in its designated space.
A man, identified as Richard Roberts, pleaded guilty to charges of assaulting a Black riverboat co-captain and a white teen deckhand. He received a four-month suspended sentence and is set to serve 32 days on weekends at a detention facility in addition to completing 100 hours of community service.
Mary Todd, a white woman involved in the brawl, pleaded guilty to harassment and was ordered to complete anger management courses within 90 days and pay associated court costs. She was filmed attacking the Black co-captain during the racially charged incident.
Three other defendants - Zachary Shipman, Allen Todd, and Reggie Ray - still have their cases under review and will be back in court in November. Despite reports and testimonials of racial slurs being used during the attack, the police chief has stated that there is currently insufficient evidence to categorize the incident as a hate crime.
In the aftermath of the incident, the city's first Black mayor, Steven Reed, stated that the brawl was a crime fueled by hate, highlighting the racial history of Montgomery.