Texas Woman Strip-Searched In Street Could Get $200K Settlement

SAN ANTONIO, TX — A Texas woman who alleged in a lawsuit she was strip-searched on a public street in front of five male police officers could get a six-figure settlement from the city of San Antonio.

According to the suit, Natalie Simms, who's in her late 30s, was sitting on curb on a public side-street and waiting for her boyfriend in August 2016 when the search occurred. Simms' car was parked across the street when cops arrived, said they believed she might have illegal drugs and asked to search the car, the suit says.

While cops looked in the car, a female police officer called to the scene pulled down Simms' shorts and removed a tampon to search her vaginal cavity, according to the lawsuit.

A public agenda on the city of San Antonio's website says local officials are poised Thursday to vote on a $205,000 payment to settle the suit.

The suit named the city of San Antonio and the female officer who conducted the search, Mara Wilson, as defendants.

As Wilson searched Simms, she asked her questions about the clothing she was wearing before eventually conducting the cavity search, the suit says. The suit also contains conversation excerpts between Wilson and Simms captured on the cop's bodycam.

Officer Wilson: Stand up straight. Kind of lean back a bit. (Inaudible) This is — these are shorts? Oh, it's a skirt-short?

Natalie: Yes.

Officer Wilson: Oh, hell. OK. Look straight ahead, OK. Spread your legs. I'm going to ask you, do you have anything down here before I reach down here?

Natalie: No. I don't have anything in my —

Officer Wilson: OK.

The suit says that at that point, Simms began to realize "with shock" what Wilson intended to do.

Natalie: You're gonna reach in my —

Officer Wilson: I'm not gonna reach. I'm just gonna look, but you keep, you keep flinching and everything.

Natalie: I'm not — yeah, because I'm on my cycle.

The suit alleges Wilson lied to Simms in saying she wasn't going to reach into her pants but just look — something that also would have been unconstitutional. Simms complained "in as respectful a manner as she could considering the situation," the suit says.

"Despite Natalie's respectful complaint, Officer Wilson was undeterred. She pulled open Natalie's pants and underwear and used her flashlight to look at the area around and including that covered by pubic hair and a portion of Natalie's vagina," the suit says. "Disgustingly, and in clear violation of Natalie's constitutional rights, Officer Wilson chose to reach into Natalie's pants and pull the
string attached to a tampon which was present in Natalie's vaginal cavity."

While the search was taking place, five male police officers were at the scene, some of them searching Simms' car.

Officers found no drugs on Simms or in her car, according to the suit.

At one point, when Simms asked if the search could be conducted at a police station, Wilson asked "Which one? We got a whole bunch of them." the suit says.

According to the suit, the city failed to sufficiently discipline Wilson for the "unconstitutional search, seizure and use of force." A notation was made in Wilson's personnel file to serve as a reference if something similar were to occur, the suit says. Wilson was able to retire from the force in May 2017.