TEXAS: Fort Bend County Sheriff Threatens Arrest Over Truck’s “Fuck Trump” Message, ACLU Issues Warning

The Houston Chronicle reports:

Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls on Wednesday created a social media firestorm with a Facebook post threatening to bring disorderly conduct charges against the driver of a truck displaying a profane anti-Trump message on its rear window.

Nehls told the Houston Chronicle that he had received calls, texts and emails in recent days from people who took offense at the language in bold, white lettering: “FUCK TRUMP AND FUCK YOU FOR VOTING FOR HIM.”

The sheriff, a Republican who is weighing a bid for Congress shared a photo on his official Facebook page in hopes that it would help to identify the truck owner. The license plate is not visible in the image.

From Houston’s CBS affiliate:

In response to the critics, Nehls posted the disorderly conduct law. It reads, in part, “Uses abusive, indecent, profane or vulgar language in a public place, and the language by its very utterance tends to incite an immediate breach of peace.” Nehls addressed the post in a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

“People have called and are offended by the language,” said Nehls. “I simply want to talk to the owner and say ‘Look the last thing we need to do is have anyone have any confrontation over the language on your truck.'”

KHOU 11 News tracked down the owners of the truck, Karen and Mike Fonseca. They are stunned and angry that Nehls would start this debate on Facebook instead of calling them personally. They say they’re entitled to their free speech.

Memo to @SheriffTNehls:

You can’t prosecute speech just because it contains the word “fuck.”

The owner of this truck should contact @ACLUTx. pic.twitter.com/wr5P9ZAWzX

— ACLU (@ACLU) November 15, 2017