Drunkard “Karen,” who was filmed in a TikTok video that went viral while breaking a young boy’s fishing rod, is a respected church leader and retired administrator.
Matthew Webster, 62, was filmed running towards the teenagers in a rage and ripping the fishing rod out of their hands. He then snapped the $200 rod in half. The boy watched in shock, his eyes wide and his mouth open. He screamed, “Nooooo!”
“Don’t touch my fishing pole! Don’t f*****g touch my fishing pole,” the other teen is heard saying as he stands outside Webster’s home in the Admiral’s Landing neighborhood of East Knoxville. He told the teens they were “trespassing on private property.”
The argument on June 24 became heated and at one point Webster threatened to throw their cell phones into the lake, as he kept cursing them.
It has now been revealed by The smoking gun that Webster and his wife Eileen retired in 2018 and moved to Knoxville, from Indiana, where he was regional president of a division of Dover Corporation, a global manufacturer.
The Matthew C. Webster Trust purchased the 3,000-square-foot home for $485,000 in July of that year. In 2021, the deed was transferred to the Webster Family Community Property Trust, the news outlet reported.
After moving to Tennessee, Webster volunteered as chair of the Haiti Outreach Program, a Catholic volunteer group at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, a local Catholic church.
Matt Webster is seen approaching the teenager and accusing him of trespassing. The boy recorded the heated exchange
Webster is caught grabbing the $200 fishway and breaking it in half as the boy appears shocked
The footage shows Webster trying to intimidate one of the boys by shouting in his face, while the boy films him and becomes increasingly angry. ‘Do you want your phone to go in the lake, young man?’
“Get away from him,” the other teen said. “Don’t test me,” Webster joked. “Get out of here. Get out! Get out of here!”
A man and a woman who may have had a connection to Webster watched helplessly as the argument between the three escalated.
The other teen told Webster, “You threatened us… you threatened us,” as he told the homeowner he was waiting for police to arrive.
Webster responded, “I’m going to take your phone and throw it in the lake,” but the boy persisted, saying that if he took his phone, he would “press charges.”
Matt Webster is the chairman of the Haiti Outreach Program, a Catholic volunteer group from the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, a local Catholic church
Webster shot back, “Why?” The teen responded, “Assault. What?” Webster told the young man, “It’s not assault,” and told them to leave his property, but the boy and his friend did not leave.
His voice rose as his face turned bright red as he screamed, “You’re fishing in a private lake. Get out of here now,” he demanded.
The teenager replied, “The police are coming, we’re just waiting for them.”
Webster pointed his finger in the air and told the boys they would be prosecuted. And sadly: ‘Your parents will be very proud that you are going to pay so much money because you are being made fools of.’
“I’m not joking,” the teenager replied calmly. “Sir, you’re the one yelling.”
He walked over to the boy whose rod he had broken and told him to go away. The boy replied, “Don’t touch me.”
One of the boys told him he smelled alcohol on Webster’s breath, he snapped and said, ‘You’re right, I’ve been drinking. Is that against the law, you stupid s***?’
The charity, which Webster chairs, raises money to help ‘impoverished children’ [with] daily food, clean water, education and health care, and other much-needed services.’
In addition to his charity work, Webster is also involved in the homeowners association.
It is unclear whether the police arrived at the scene.
When DailyMail.com contacted the Knox County Sheriff’s Office they could not be reached, but a spokesperson said an investigation was ongoing, but further details could not be released because According to the news outlet, the victims are minors.