Sorority girl accused of rioting in Lancaster has bail set at $1 million

20-year-old Kathryn “Kat” Jeanne Patterson of Mercersburg, Pa. was charged with felony arson, felony vandalism, felony riot, failure to disperse, obstructing highways and other public passages, disorderly conduct, and defiant trespass with additional counts of criminal conspiracy.

Violence broke out over the weekend outside the Lancaster police station in response to the police shooting of a Latino man who rushed at a cop with a knife.

As first reported on the conservative blog, “The Other McCain,” Patterson is a junior at Franklin and Marshall College, a private liberal arts college in Lancaster where the annual cost of attendance is over $75,000 including housing. The arrested suspect is also a Kappa Delta sorority member and an “ally” of the campus-based Black Student Union (BSU).

In an Instagram post, the BSU is crowdfunding Patterson’s release through CashApp, Venmo, and Paypal.

“[Patterson] has now been wrongfully accused of crimes she could not possibly commit,” BSU’s page wrote, linking to a GoFundMe to raise money for Patterson’s bail set at $1 million and any legal fees incurred “while being wrongfully detained.” However, GoFundMe’s terms of service prohibits fundraisers for those accused of crimes associated with violence and terrorism, among other charges. GoFundMe has been reached for comment. Patterson’s crowdfunding page has raised the $35,000 goal needed for the bail bondsman.

The Franklin and Marshall College Black Student Union promotes a fundraiser for Kathryn Patterson

Her Kappa Delta chapter also released a statement directing to the fundraiser and defending their blonde Eta Lambda sister for protesting the “wrongful murder” of Ricardo Munoz who was shot by a responding police officer on a domestic disturbance call when Munoz charged with a knife in-hand, according to police body camera footage. The 27-year-old, accused of stabbing four victims last year, was set to go to trial in October.

Patterson is currently being held at Lancaster County Prison. As of Monday evening, she has yet to speak to her family or a lawyer while in detainment, her father, Chip Patterson, told Lancaster Online.

This tactic of imposing excessive bail prevented repeat incidents during Monday night’s protest, which was met with swift action as law enforcement regained control of the city. Civil unrest was quelled in less than 24 hours in stark contrast to Portland's catch and release policies.