Kara Bell, Maskless 'Woman of God,' Arrested For Assault in Viral Video

A maskless woman in Texas, who is a Travis County school board candidate, was arrested for assault after allegedly "forcing her way" into a fitting room at a Nordstrom Rack store where face coverings are required.

Police body camera footage, which shows the woman, Kara Bell, claiming she is a "woman of God" before being handcuffed, has gone viral on Twitter.

Nordstrom Rack employees called the Sunset Valley Police Department on April 7 after Bell allegedly refused to wear a mask upon entering the store located near the city of Austin. According to the police report and witnesses, Bell shoved an employee "before forcing her way into a dressing room."

Bell allegedly told the store that she had a health exemption and did not need to wear her mask. But she was told by workers that she was not allowed in the shop without a mask.

Sunset Valley police released a body cam video of Bell's encounter with two officers outside the store. A clip of the footage was shared by Twitter user @WUTangKids, in which Bell was heard repeatedly refusing to identify herself to the officers before she was handcuffed.

The user tweeted: "Maskless moron talking to cops outside Nordstrom Rack in Austin gets dealt with 'I am a Christian woman of God,'" in a post sharing the video, which has received over 332,000 views since it was first posted.

In the video, Bell said: "Actually, I don't [need to identify myself]. It's called common law. You should read up on it, I do not...so we both know that I don't."

She went on to say: "I am a woman of God. This is my right as much as it is yours. This is my land as much as it is yours. I did not sign up for this. I am a Christian woman of God.

"And you are not gonna put your disgusting rules on me that are false and not true...I will not have it. I'm sick of being bullied. I'm sick of being lied to and it's not gonna happen anymore, do you understand?" Bell continued.

According to the full body cam video, earlier in the encounter a police officer told Bell: "When you're legally detained, you have a duty to identify yourself to a police officer," explaining they had been called to investigate the situation.

When another police officer asked Bell whether she had a middle name, she asked: "Why is it your business?" to which that officer replied: "Because we have to identify you. But if I can't identify you, I'm taking you to jail."

According to the police report, a store worker tried to block Bell from entering the fitting room by putting their arm up as a barrier. Bell allegedly kept pushing before she shoved one of the workers and police were called at this time.

According to the report, as police were responding, Bell allegedly went into one of the fitting rooms and began to try on clothes. Police entered the store and asked Bell to come out of the room. When she did, she was wearing the clothes from the store.

She did not leave the store until nearly 15 minutes after the officers arrived.

Bell was issued a citation for a Class C misdemeanor, which can result in a fine of up to $500. According to the police report, she is not allowed to return to the store for at least a year.

Bell is a school board candidate running for position 2 on the Lake Travis ISD (Independent School District) school board.

In a statement, Lake Travis ISD said: "We have been made aware of the video. Due to election laws, we are not able to provide further comment."

Newsweek has contacted Bell, Nordstrom and the Sunset Valley Police Department for further comment.

A statewide mask mandate was lifted in Texas in early March under a new executive order by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. However, the governor's office said at the time: "Businesses may still limit capacity or implement additional safety protocols at their own discretion."

The order stated: "Nothing in this executive order precludes businesses or other establishments from requiring employees or customers to follow additional hygiene measures, including the wearing of a face covering."

The current Health Authority Rules for Austin-Travis County, which expire on May 18, include "a requirement for businesses to require individuals to wear face coverings in most circumstances."

In late March, a court ruling upheld the mask mandate of the local health authority in Travis County and the city of Austin, Travis County Judge Andy Brown tweeted.