A Houston area woman was released from county lockup late Thursday after the local sheriff threatened a charge for her truck decal explicitly cursing President Donald Trump and his voters.
Karen Fonseca, a Fort Bend County motorist, was featured on Sheriff Troy Nehls’ official Facebook page Wednesday for apparently displaying a large, rear cab window decal on her truck stating “F—k Trump and f—k you for voting for him.”
Nehls took to Facebook in response:
I have received numerous calls regarding the offensive display on this truck as it is often seen along FM 359. If you know who owns this truck or it is yours, I would like to discuss it with you … [o]ur Prosecutor has informed us she would accept Disorderly Conduct charges regarding it, but I feel we could come to an agreement regarding a modification to it.
The now-deleted post sparked a swarm of online comments and criticisms for the sheriff’s message—many accusing the department of threatening the driver’s First Amendment rights. A tip to the Fort Bend County S.O. helped confirm Fonseca as the driver and, as a result, revealed that she had a separate outstanding warrant for alleged “fraud”, USA Today reports. The woman was arrested Thursday and released roughly an hour later on bond by her husband, the paper notes.
Amid the emerging uproar, two Fort Bend County officials released statements on the matter, including Sheriff Nehls’ office:
The objective of the post was to find the owner/driver of the truck and have a conversation with them in order to prevent a potential altercation between the truck driver and those offended by the message. Since the owner of the truck has been identified, the Sheriff took down the post.
Today reports the local district attorney is not filing any charges in connection with the explicit decal.
Following Fonseca’s release, she said she had “no regrets” on the matter.
“People abuse the badge, and in my opinion, money talks. When you’re in politics, people know how to work the system,” she said.
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