Texas woman who had pants pulled down, tampon removed in public by cops during drug search to get $205k settlement
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: A woman who had her pants pulled down in public by a police officer and then had to endure a vaginal search in the open is set to receive a $205,000 settlement from the city of San Antonio.
Natalie D. Simms, 40, filed a lawsuit against San Antonio with regards to an incident that unfolded in August 2016, when she was approached by the police as she was sitting on the side of a street, talking on the phone and waiting for her boyfriend, according to KSAT.
Documents state that, after talking to the police, she consented to a search of the vehicle which she had driven to the area, and that when they didn't find anything illegal, a female officer was called to the scene to search her body.
Detective Mara Wilson, who is now retired, then arrived at the scene and searched Simms in front of several male officers.
During the search, which was partially recorded on a dash camera in Wilson's police vehicle, she pulls down Simms' pants and underwear and used a flashlight to search the pubic region, despite receiving no consent for the same.
Furthermore, the lawsuit states that Wilson pulled a string attached to a tampon out of Simms' vagina and then held the tampon up in the air for approximately 23 seconds. She also allegedly commented on the amount of pubic hair Simms had and continued to tell Simms they could not go to the police station to continue the search despite the latter's insistence.
The 40-year-old was finally allowed to drive away after officers did not find anything illegal even after the vaginal cavity search.
Simms filed the federal lawsuit against San Antonio in March 2018 in connection to the incident, claiming that the officers violated her constitutional rights.
The city will vote on Thursday, October 17, on whether to approve the aforementioned payout. If approved, the settlement will be paid from its self-insurance liability fund.