ENID, Okla. — An Enid woman is facing a criminal charge after being accused of using a racial slur toward and slapping a Black teenager working at a local pizza restaurant.
On April 14, 71-year-old Rachel Scheuerman was charged with one count of malicious harassment based upon race.
Around 10:40 p.m. on March 30, a 17-year-old boy, accompanied by his mother, told Enid Police Department officers he had been working at Little Caesars, 1725 W. Garriott, earlier that evening when a woman in the drive-through, later identified as Scheuerman, wanted to order two pizzas and Crazy Bread (breadsticks with garlic-butter and parmesan cheese sprinkled on top), according to an affidavit filed in the case.
The teen told Scheuerman the restaurant was out of Crazy Bread, which allegedly angered Scheuerman. According to the affidavit, after being told to pull around to the window for the two pizzas, Scheuerman then asked him, “Do you want a diploma?”
After the teen answered, “Yes,” Scheuerman allegedly used the racial slur two times, and then asked him, “Did that hurt you?” He said, “No.” The affidavit states Scheuerman then opened the door of her vehicle and slapped him two times across the right side of his face.
The teen then got his manager and explained what had happened, according to the affidavit. Scheuerman allegedly told the manager she “harassed him like (she) always (does)” before laughing and driving away.
Stacy Beard, the teen’s mother, told the News & Eagle on Wednesday her son had been working at Little Caesars since either late October or early November 2021 and that neither he nor the family knew Scheuerman.
Beard said her son, a junior in high school, has since put in his two weeks’ notice.
“Mentally, this has affected him in ways that I can’t even imagine,” she said. “He is not the same child I had before this happened.”
The teen was able to record a video of the incident on his cellphone and showed it to police. In one of two videos provided by EPD, Scheuerman appears to pay for the two pizzas before driving away.
At approximately 2:30 a.m., an officer made contact with Scheuerman at her residence. According to the affidavit, the officer asked her if she had gone to Little Caesars and asked her what happened. Scheuerman said she was “joking around” with the teen and that she “teases everyone.”
Scheuerman told the officer she asked the teen if he wanted to learn about “Racism 101,” which is how she said she taught her children about racism and then called the teen the racial slur, the affidavit states,
She asked the teen, “Did that hurt?” and that the teen said, “No.” According to the affidavit, Scheuerman said she then reached into the window and “did like this,” making a motion of her hand softly hitting her cheek.
According to the affidavit, Scheuerman asked the officer, “What else was I accused of doing?” Police told her there was video footage showing her slapping the teen, and Scheuerman confirmed she had slapped him.
The officer told Scheuerman she had called the teen the racial slur twice, but Scheuerman said she only said the racial slur once, according to the affidavit. Scheuerman also said she was not mad about there being no Crazy Bread and that she had said to the teen, “You get a diploma for the course. Are you sure you want to hear it?” She said the teen told her, “Yes.”
Scheuerman was arrested April 14, and her bond was set at $5,000. She was released on April 18 and arraigned April 21. A bond appearance is scheduled for May 12.
The misdemeanor charge is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and/or no more than one year in the county jail. Punishment for an assault is up to 30 days in prison and/or a fine of up to $500, and an assault and battery charge is punishable by up to 90 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000.
The News & Eagle reached out to Scheuerman, who, at the advice of her attorney, did not wish to provide a comment.
Beard said she was frustrated that it took two weeks for a charge to be filed.
Garfield County District Attorney Mike Fields, though unable to speak specifically about the case, said there are two types of charges that come to the DA’s office: One in which police arrest somebody on the spot, and the person is in custody; and the other in which police investigate but do not arrest anybody and send the case to the DA’s office.
Regarding the latter, Fields said the DA’s office then reviews the case and decides whether to file charges. If so, documents are prepared and submitted to a judge who determines whether to issue an arrest warrant.
Under Oklahoma criminal law, police cannot arrest somebody for a misdemeanor — with only a few exceptions such as in domestic abuse — unless the offense was committed in the presence of the officer or if police have an arrest warrant.
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