By Alexander Fern / Assist. News Director

A Richmond man has been found guilty in a bias motivated assault case stemming from last July.

The Stearns County Attorney’s Office says 33-year-old Benton Louis Beyer was found guilty of stalking and assault in the second degree motivated by bias after a jury deliberated the case from September 6-12th.

The jury found Beyer guilty of stalking, first degree criminal damaging of property, vehicular theft and multiple accounts of second degree assault with a weapon. The prosecution also added that all of these charges were motivated by bias and tacked on aggravating contributors as well stating that  “in the presence of a child who saw, heard, witnessed, or otherwise perceived the offense.” The jury agreed as well.

Beyer, who is a white man was convicted of stalking and harassing Andrea Robinson and her family for a sustained period of time and then ramming a stolen a SUV into their home in July of 2021.

Robinson who is a white woman, is married and has two children with an African American man. The criminal complaint that was filed says that Beyer’s actions were motivated by race and that he became fixated on Robinson’s family after his girlfriend cheated on him with an African American male. The Robinson’s house is about half a mile from where Beyer and his ex-girlfriend lived.

Breyer was originally arrested while walking near a trail near Alexander Park in Cold Spring in July 2021. The judge also ordered that Breyer remain in custody until sentencing which is scheduled for November 18.