A Florida man was arrested for displaying an obscene bumper sticker on the back of his 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 âderogatory,â he claimed his freedom of expression was violated, and the deputyâs office asked if he was using his free speech to express his desire of âeating a donkey.â
Keep reading to learn why Webb was arrested over a bumper sticker!
In 2019, a Columbia County sheriffâs 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 â printed in bold white â reads, âI EAT A**.â
In the video, the deputy approaches the passenger side of the truck and after saying, âhello gentleman,â he explains that he pulled the car over due to âthe derogatory stickerâ displayed on the back of his truck.
In Florida, law prohibits âany sticker, decal emblem or other device attached to a motor vehicle containing obscene descriptions, photographs or depictions.â
âHowâs it derogatory?â Webb asks from inside the car.
The officer replies, âHowâs it not derogatory?â
âSome 10-year-old kid sitting in the passenger seat of his mommaâs vehicle looks over and sees âI eat a**â and asks his mom what it means,â English says. âHow is she going to explain that?â
Sniping back, the driver provides the wrong answer: âThatâs the parentâs job, not my job,â Webb says before heâs asked to present his driverâs license and registration.
After stepping out of the vehicle, Webb is searched, and the deputy tells him the sticker is a âmisdemeanor violation of Floridaâs obscene materials law.â
âI have four kidsâŚif my 6-year-old was to look at me and like, âdad what does I eat a** mean?âŚheâs curiousâŚand the way [you] handled this situation, Iâm not pleased with,â 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 âA**â to read âAS.â 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, whoâs leaning against his car, looking at his cellphone.
âAll right Mr. Webb. Place your hands behind your back,â Webb is told. When he asks âwhy?â he learns âbecause youâre going to jail.â
Asking âfor what?â English explains that he was given âthe option to take that offâ the window, but he ârefused.â
He was then arrested and charged with the additional offense of âresisting an officer without violence.â
âPerverted mindâ
âTheyâre just words,â Webb later told First Coast News. âIf thatâs how they feel, if they have a perverted mind, thatâs on them.â
But according to Sergeant Murray Smith of the Columbia County Sheriffâs Office, it wasnât just the words on the sticker that Deputy English determined was illegal.
âIt was the obscene phrase depicting what the deputy thought was a sexual act, which is obscene by definition,â said Smith. âWhat would a reasonable citizen think? Is the guy eating a donkey or is he doing a sexual act?â
The incident captured the attention of a lot of social media users, the majority who defended Webb.
âSo what if he eats donkey. Whatâs the big deal?â asks one netizen. Another, referring to English speaking of his childâs potential reaction to the sticker, says, âSince when are a copâs feelings deserving of an arrest?â
âI live here and as soon as we heard he got arrested we all went and got the sticker and put it on [our] trucks,â pens a third.
Another adds, âHe better keep his kids off the internet. They will see far worse than this.â
The State Attorneyâs Office cited the First Amendment and the charges against Webb were 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 that the arrest was âarguably justified under Floridaâs obscenity law,â giving the officer and his supervisor âqualified immunity,â 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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