'Pool Patrol Paula' pleaded guilty to assaulting a black teenager at swimming pool

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By VT

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This year, there was a worrying trend of white people calling the cops on black people for no reason. 'BBQ Betty' freaked out over a black family having a BBQ; 'Golfcart Gail' called the police on a black father at his son's soccer game; 'Permit Patty' called 911 to report an eight-year-old black girl selling water bottles on the sidewalk without a permit; the list goes on and on.

In each incident, the busybodies' outbursts were captured on camera and publicly shamed on social media. The footage went viral, earning widespread scorn and inspiring hilarious memes. Then stories emerged about the troublemakers losing their jobs as a result of their behaviour, and the internet revelled in delicious schadenfreude.

Well, now one of those obnoxious meddlers is facing more than mob justice. Remember 'Pool Patrol Paula'? She thought a 15-year-old black boy, Darshaun RocQuemore Simmons, didn't belong at the community pool in Summerville, South Carolina. She ordered him to leave, and when he didn't comply, she became abusive. The victim said she verbally and physically assaulted him.

According to the incident report, Simmons was staying at a friend's house. The friend's father had a family friend who lives in Reminisce Community, where the swimming pool is located. The family friend invited the teens to go swimming as visitors, which means they were not intruders.

"This lady walked up to us and was like ya'll have to leave," Simmons told CBS News. "We said, 'Yes ma'am.' When I started walking out she just started hitting me. ... It was shocking. ... She called me the N-word and she called me a punk.

Part of the incident was recorded on camera. No racial slurs are heard in the footage, but we get a glimpse of the attack. In the 22-second video, 'Pool Patrol Paula' yells at Simmons to "get out" and strikes the camera. "There's three numbers I could dial," she says. "9, 1, 1, okay? Get out! Little punks!" Then she guides him away from the pool and strikes the camera once more. The video has over 1.5 million views on Facebook.

The day after the incident, detectives went to Sebby-Strempel's home address to serve a warrant. The 38-year-old woman resisted arrest, shoving one detective into a wall and biting another detective hard enough to break skin. This resulted in her immediate arrest and additional charges being filed. She also lost her job. But on the upside, now she can add something new to her resume: "Proficient at assaulting teenagers and biting detectives."

On Monday, Sebby-Strempel pleaded guilty to assault and battery for the incident, which occurred last June. She has been ordered to pay a $1,000 fine. Had she listened to the victim's explanation for being at the swimming pool, or just minded her own business, she could have avoided a lot of trouble. Hopefully these consequences will deter more people from becoming 'Pool Patrol Paula's.

'Pool Patrol Paula' pleaded guilty to assaulting a black teenager at swimming pool

vt-author-image

By VT

Article saved!Article saved!

This year, there was a worrying trend of white people calling the cops on black people for no reason. 'BBQ Betty' freaked out over a black family having a BBQ; 'Golfcart Gail' called the police on a black father at his son's soccer game; 'Permit Patty' called 911 to report an eight-year-old black girl selling water bottles on the sidewalk without a permit; the list goes on and on.

In each incident, the busybodies' outbursts were captured on camera and publicly shamed on social media. The footage went viral, earning widespread scorn and inspiring hilarious memes. Then stories emerged about the troublemakers losing their jobs as a result of their behaviour, and the internet revelled in delicious schadenfreude.

Well, now one of those obnoxious meddlers is facing more than mob justice. Remember 'Pool Patrol Paula'? She thought a 15-year-old black boy, Darshaun RocQuemore Simmons, didn't belong at the community pool in Summerville, South Carolina. She ordered him to leave, and when he didn't comply, she became abusive. The victim said she verbally and physically assaulted him.

According to the incident report, Simmons was staying at a friend's house. The friend's father had a family friend who lives in Reminisce Community, where the swimming pool is located. The family friend invited the teens to go swimming as visitors, which means they were not intruders.

"This lady walked up to us and was like ya'll have to leave," Simmons told CBS News. "We said, 'Yes ma'am.' When I started walking out she just started hitting me. ... It was shocking. ... She called me the N-word and she called me a punk.

Part of the incident was recorded on camera. No racial slurs are heard in the footage, but we get a glimpse of the attack. In the 22-second video, 'Pool Patrol Paula' yells at Simmons to "get out" and strikes the camera. "There's three numbers I could dial," she says. "9, 1, 1, okay? Get out! Little punks!" Then she guides him away from the pool and strikes the camera once more. The video has over 1.5 million views on Facebook.

The day after the incident, detectives went to Sebby-Strempel's home address to serve a warrant. The 38-year-old woman resisted arrest, shoving one detective into a wall and biting another detective hard enough to break skin. This resulted in her immediate arrest and additional charges being filed. She also lost her job. But on the upside, now she can add something new to her resume: "Proficient at assaulting teenagers and biting detectives."

On Monday, Sebby-Strempel pleaded guilty to assault and battery for the incident, which occurred last June. She has been ordered to pay a $1,000 fine. Had she listened to the victim's explanation for being at the swimming pool, or just minded her own business, she could have avoided a lot of trouble. Hopefully these consequences will deter more people from becoming 'Pool Patrol Paula's.