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The family of a Black South Carolina teen says they want the woman who assaulted their son at a Summerville pool last week to be prosecuted to the fullest extent.
The 15-year-old victim’s parents spoke at a press conference Tuesday to demand justice for their child, who was one of several kids invited to a neighborhood pool by a friend when he was berated and subsequently attacked by Stephanie Sebby-Strempel on June 24.
Video of the shocking incident shows Sebby-Strempel, a skincare consultant, accosting the teen and his friends, claiming they “didn’t belong” belong there. Moments later, she hits the teen several times as he and his friends exit the pool area.
“My son was assaulted and struck three times by a resident of Reminence neighborhood because she didn’t feel as though they belonged because of their skin color,” the victim’s mother, Deanna RocQuemore, told reporters. “No child, including mine or anyone else’s, ever deserves that type of abuse or treatment…This is a situation that won’t be handled lightly.”
Sebby–Strempel, 38, has since been charged with third-degree assault and two counts of wounding a police officer — the latter of which stemmed from the fact that she shoved a detective into the wall and bit another on the arm, drawing blood, when officers arrested her at her home Monday. A Dorchester County judge issued a $65,000 surety bond after she was jailed, ABC News 4 reported.
At the press conference, RocQuemore praised her son for his restraint, describing him as a “distinguished gentleman.”
“He exhibited the highest level of self-control that I’ve ever experienced or seen in my life and I want to commend my son for that,” she said, referencing Sebby-Strempel’s repeated attempts to get a rise out of the teenager. She added that she has gotten calls from other residents who’ve had issues with the racist pool-goer in the past.
Bryan Simmons, the teen’s father, said all the family wants now is justice for their son.
“We don’t wish this upon any child,” he told reporters Tuesday. “No child should ever be treated in this manner and we’re gonna stick behind our child, 100 percent. We have his back and we want 100 percent justice.”
Speaking to ABC News 4, the family’s attorney, State Rep. Marvin Pendarvis, said they haven’t decided whether to pursue a civil lawsuit.
As for Sebby-Strempel, she’s due in court July 11 for the third-degree assault charge and has another court date August 27 for charges stemming from her alleged assault on police officers.
