A Floridaย man was arrested for displaying anย obsceneย bumper sticker on the back of hisย truck, one that either expressed his sexual preferences, or his love for a four-legged animal.
After Dillon Shane Webb was told the sticker was โderogatory,โย he claimed his freedom of expression was violated, and the deputyโs office asked if he was using his free speech to express his desire of โeating a donkey.โ
Keep reading to learn why Webb was arrested over a bumper sticker!
In 2019, a Columbia County sheriffโs deputy was driving behind a pickup truck when he noticed a vulgar sticker plastered on the middle of the rear window.
Dashcam footage shows Deputy Travis English stopping his cruiser in a parking lot behind the brown pickup, operated by Dillon Shane Webb, 23, with the bumper sticker in clear view.
The letters on the sticker โ printed in bold white โ reads, โI EAT A**.โ
In the video, the deputy approaches the passenger side of the truck and after saying, โhello gentleman,โ he explains that he pulled the car over due to โthe derogatory stickerโ displayed on the back of his truck.
In Florida,ย law prohibitsย โany sticker, decal emblem or other device attached to a motor vehicle containing obscene descriptions, photographs or depictions.โ
โHowโs it derogatory?โ Webb asks from inside the car.
The officer replies, โHowโs it not derogatory?โ
โSome 10-year-old kid sitting in the passenger seat of his mommaโs vehicle looks over and sees โI eat a**โ and asks his mom what it means,โ English says. โHow is she going to explain that?โ
Sniping back, the driver provides the wrong answer: โThatโs the parentโs job, not my job,โ Webb says before heโs asked to present his driverโs license and registration.
After stepping out of the vehicle, Webb is searched, and the deputy tells him the sticker is a โmisdemeanor violation of Floridaโs obscene materials law.โ
โI have four kidsโฆif my 6-year-old was to look at me and like, โdad what does I eat a** mean?โฆheโs curiousโฆand the way [you] handled this situation, Iโm not pleased with,โ English said before offering Webb the opportunity to explain his sticker to the court system.
Next, the deputy suggests Webb remove one of the letters from the word โA**โ to read โAS.โ But Webb refused, citing his constitutional right to free speech.
A few minutes later, things take a nasty turn for Webb.
After confirming with his supervisor that he had reasonable rights within the law, English steps out of his cruiser and approaches Webb, whoโs leaning against his car, looking at his cellphone.
โAll right Mr. Webb. Place your hands behind your back,โ Webb is told. When he asks โwhy?โ he learns โbecause youโre going to jail.โ
Asking โfor what?โ English explains that he was given โthe option to take that offโ the window, but he โrefused.โ
He was then arrested and charged with the additional offense of โresisting an officer without violence.โ
โPerverted mindโ
โTheyโre just words,โ Webb later toldย First Coast News. โIf thatโs how they feel, if they have a perverted mind, thatโs on them.โ
But according to Sergeant Murray Smith of the Columbia County Sheriffโs Office, it wasnโt just the words on the sticker that Deputy English determined was illegal.
โIt was the obscene phrase depicting what the deputy thought was a sexual act, which is obscene by definition,โ said Smith. โWhat would a reasonable citizen think? Is the guy eating a donkey or is he doing a sexual act?โ
The incident captured the attention of a lot of social media users, the majority who defended Webb.
โSo what if he eats donkey. Whatโs the big deal?โ asks one netizen. Another, referring to English speaking of his childโs potential reaction to the sticker, says, โSince when are a copโs feelings deserving of an arrest?โ
โI live here and as soon as we heard he got arrested we all went and got the sticker and put it on [our] trucks,โ pens a third.
Another adds, โHe better keep his kids off the internet. They will see far worse than this.โ
The State Attorneyโs Office cited the First Amendment and the charges against Webb wereย dropped. Later, Webb sued for alleged violations of his First Amendment and Fourth Amendment rights, but U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard of the Middle District of Florida ruled thatย the arrestย was โarguably justified under Floridaโs obscenity law,โ giving the officer and his supervisor โqualified immunity,โ which means they are protected from the lawsuit.
This case underscores the ongoing debate in the U.S. over free speech and its boundaries, especially around expressions some might find offensive or derogatory. It also reflects how the First Amendment remains a contentious issue, with some insisting their right to free expression is under threat, while others argue for consideration that certain messages will have on the population.
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