A Mississippi grand jury has indicted Judge Bill Weisenberger for “simple assault on a vulnerable adult,” a felony carrying up to a $1,000 fine or 5 years in prison, or both, for his actions at a flea market on May 8, 2014.
In that incident, Eric Rivers, 20, an autistic black youth, was hanging around the flea market hoping to get work helping vendors unload their trucks. Weisenberger, without any apparent provocation, slapped Rivers and yelled at him, “Run, n*gger, run!”
Racial allegations also have been made against Judge Weisenberger pertaining to how he discharges his official duties, including a complaint that he imposed an illegal DUI sentence on a black defendant, which is being investigated by the state attorney general, and another complaint that he jailed a black woman for “roaming livestock,” a charge that doesn’t exist in Mississippi law.
Weisenberger is a Justice Court judge, which in Mississippi needn’t be a qualified lawyer, and requires only a high school diploma.
Photo: Judge Bill Weisenberger has been accused of several racially discriminatory incidents, both on and off the bench.
