R. Kelly trial vlogger charged after rival accuses her of assault near courthouse; she claims, ‘I was nowhere near her’
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An R. Kelly fan who has been posting videos about the disgraced singer’s ongoing criminal trial was arrested by Chicago police Thursday after another accused her of assault — an allegation she flatly denied.
Sylvia Parks Tumusiime, 55, of Covington, Georgia, was charged with one misdemeanor count of battery, according to Chicago police.
In an interview with the Tribune, Tumusiime strenuously denied ever hitting the woman, saying the accusation was a lie borne out of jealousy: “I was nowhere near her,” she said.
According to police, the alleged victim, a 45-year-old woman, reported she had been assaulted by a woman she knows about 6:15 a.m. Wednesday in the 100 block of North State Street. The victim said she was walking back to her parked vehicle when Tumusiime approached and struck her on the left side of the face. The victim declined treatment at the scene, according to police.
About 7:30 a.m. Thursday, the victim contacted police, saying she saw her assailant outside the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in the 200 block of South Dearborn Street, where Kelly’s trial was about to get underway for the day.
“Officers responded, at which time the offender was placed into custody,” police said in a statement to the Tribune.
Tumusiime is a well-known vlogger who posts commentary on Kelly’s case under the YouTube moniker “Infamous Sylvia.” She could not immediately be reached for comment.
The woman who made the assault report, meanwhile, has also been posting video updates of the proceedings. She was ticketed with a misdemeanor on Thursday morning for failing to adhere to the courthouse’s signs restricting use of recording devices.
The incident was one of several where attendees of Kelly’s trial on child pornography and obstruction charges have been accused of misbehavior.
At least two attendees of the Kelly trial have been issued tickets for failing to follow courthouse rules since the case began last month, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Tumusiime told the Tribune her accuser had called her names and threatened her at the courthouse last week. Tumusiime told security officials, who she said told her the woman would be banned. The woman was allowed back into the courthouse this week, Tumusiime said.
When Tumusiime came to the courthouse Thursday morning, a friend told her there were police cars downstairs waiting for her, she said.
“That’s when I came out and a police officer told me she said I had slapped her,” she said. “... And I felt it was unfair because (they) took her word. Nobody verified anything, nobody investigated anything.”
After being released on a recognizance bond, Tumusiime returned to the courthouse to view testimony Thursday afternoon.
“I just wanted to show her I’m not defeated,” she said. “I’m not defeated at all.”
