STARKVILLE, Miss. – A white campground manager in Mississippi who was fired last week after pulling a gun on a black couple has been charged with a misdemeanor, officials said.
Ruby Howell, 70, turned herself in to the Oktibbeha County Jail on Tuesday morning on a misdemeanor charge of threatening exhibition of a weapon. She posted $500 bond shortly after being processed, the sheriff's office told the Starkville Daily News.
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Howell made national headlines last week after she was seen in a viral video pulling a gun on a black couple trying to have a picnic.
In a Facebook post, Jessica Richardson described the confrontation she and her husband had with Howell on May 26.
"Today was a beautiful day so my husband (who's a vet), our 2 year old dog, and myself, decided to Google a lake to visit and have a picnic," Richardson wrote. "We found a lake located in starkville, ms and decided to visit."
The couple visited Oktibbeha County Lake in Starkville, a Kampgrounds of America (KOA) location.
"Not five mins later a truck pulls up and a white lady screams at us, she then jumps out of her truck with a Gun. And proceeded to point it at the 3 of us, simply because we didnt make reservations."
The video shows Howell confronting the couple while holding a gun. She is heard telling the couple that they needed reservations.
"We didn't know. The only thing you had to do was tell us to leave," Richardson is heard saying in the video. "We would have left. You didn't have to pull a gun."
Watch the video below:
RACISM IS ALIVE AND WELL!! Today was a beautiful day so my husband (who's a vet), our 2 year old dog, and myself, decided to Google a lake to visit and have a picnic. We found a lake located in starkville, ms and decided to visit. Not five mins later a truck pulls up and a white lady screams at us, she then jumps out of her truck with a Gun. And proceeded to point it at the 3 of us, simply because we didnt make reservations. After leaving my husband stopped by the office and talked with her husband (they're the property managers). The husband tells my husband that reservations aren't needed for the lake. This happened In Starkville,Ms
Posted by Jessica Richardson on Sunday, May 26, 2019
KOA responded to the video on May 28 with the following statement:
Kampgrounds of America does not condone the use of a firearm in any manner on our properties or those owned and operated by our franchisees. The employee involved in the incident has been relieved of her duties at the Starkville KOA.
The date of Howell's next court appearance was not immediately announced.