Texas sheriff seeks driver with ‘offensive’ anti-Trump display on their truck

A Texas sheriff is looking for a truck with an anti-Trump display on the window — and implied that he might seek criminal charges against the owner.

What did the sheriff say?

Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy E. Nehls posted a photo of the truck Wednesday on Facebook. A display on the back window of the truck reads “F*** Trump and f*** you for voting for him.” The swear word isn't censored on the sticker.

Nehls wrote that he has received “numerous calls regarding the offensive display.”

“If you know who owns this truck or it is yours, I would like to discuss it with you,” he wrote. “Our Prosecutor has informed us she would accept Disorderly Conduct charges regarding it, but I feel we could come to an agreement regarding a modification.”

What did the driver say?

KTRK-TV reported that Karen Fonseca said the truck belongs to her husband but she often drives it.

“It makes people happy. They smile. They stop you,” Fonseca told KTRK. “They want to shake your hand.”

Fonseca told the Houston Chronicle that they had the sign made after Trump was sworn into office. She said it is not intended “to cause hate or animosity.”

“It’s just our freedom of speech and we’re exercising it,” she said.

What did critics of the sheriff say?

Some said the sheriff was threatening Fonseca’s right to freedom of speech.

The American Civil Liberties Union posted on Facebook that “you can't prosecute speech just because it contains words you don't like.”

The ACLU of Texas echoed the sentiment:

How did the sheriff respond?

According to The Associated Press, Nehls said Wednesday at a news conference about his viral Facebook post that he’s concerned the sign may lead to a confrontation.

“We have not threatened anybody with arrest; we have not written any citations,” Nehls said. “But I think now it would be a good time to have meaningful dialogue with that person and express the concerns out there regarding the language on the truck.”

“I don’t want to see anything happen to anyone,” he added. “With people’s mindset today, that’s the last thing we need, a breach of the peace.”

(H/T: The Washington Post)