McHenry woman acquitted of charges stemming from Home Depot fight over face mask in July

A McHenry woman previously accused of attacking a Home Depot customer while arguing about face masks and saying she believes in “white power” was acquitted of all charges Wednesday.

McHenry County Judge Mark Gerhardt delivered the ruling, noting that he found neither the accused woman nor the alleged victim’s testimony credible. Between the “almost unwatchable” blurry surveillance footage and contradictory testimony from both sides, Gerhardt struggled to determine who swung first. In any case, the altercation was avoidable to begin with, he said.

“Anybody could have walked away at any time,” Gerhardt said.

Teri A. Hill, 55, was originally charged in July with misdemeanor counts of battery and disorderly conduct. According to charging documents, Hill was accused of hitting and threatening to cough on another woman at the store about four months into the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Although prosecutors offered a plea deal, Hill rejected it and chose instead to take the case to trial, her attorney Robert Deters said.

Hill’s face was shared across the internet last summer when video of the encounter showed Hill responding when the other customer says her “entitlement is disgusting.”

“Yes, I am entitled. I’m white. I’m a woman,” Hill said in the video, adding later that she “believe(s) in white power.”

Hill told the Northwest Herald after court Wednesday that those comments were “sarcastic,” claiming she only was repeated what the other woman accused her of.

“This has been one of the hardest things I have had to go through,” Hill said in a later email.

The case stemmed from a July 3 disturbance call at Home Depot, 2461 N. Richmond Road, where two female customers were reportedly arguing about face masks, police said at the time.

The alleged victim previously told the Northwest Herald that Hill removed her mask while speaking to an employee and that an argument ensued from there. Video of the encounter showed both women filming each other with their phones and arguing about face coverings.

McHenry police arrived at the store just before 5 p.m. and learned the argument had turned physical and resulted in minor injuries. Neither woman requested medical care, police said.

Officers arrested Hill after collecting independent witness statements and video footage taken during the situation. Based on testimony from both sides that contradicted the video evidence, however, Gerhardt had concerns about the accuracy of several witness statements.

The judge noted, for example, that Hill testified she wasn’t holding her middle finger out at the alleged victim in a cellphone video, claiming instead that’s how she holds her phone.

“That’s a lie,” Gerhardt said. “It’s clear from the video.”

He also pointed to testimony from the alleged victim, who originally accused Hill of threatening to cough on her at the store. The same woman then testified at trial that she “assumed” Hill tried to cough on her, Gerhardt said.

“Also if she was so alarmed and disturbed, why did she keep approaching Miss Hill?” Gerhardt said.

As for the comments Hill made about “white power,” Gerhardt said those never should have been spoken in public.

“I do not condone anything that Miss Hill said on that day,” Gerhardt said.

The judge also criticized the other woman for comments she made to Hill during their exchange.

“By the way,” Gerhardt said. “I would consider calling someone a ‘racist piece of trash’ fighting words.”

After court Wednesday, Hill denied being racist or supporting “white power.”

The other woman involved could not immediately be reached for comment.

It didn’t take long for video of the altercation to make its rounds online. Actor George Takei even shared the clip on Facebook, commenting “Internet, do your thing.”

As news spread, Hill began receiving angry letters and emails, including an out-of-state postcard that simply read “plague rat.”

Acquitted of all charges, Hills now could seek to have the record of her arrest expunged, Deters said.

“Teri would like to move forward with her life,” Deters said.