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 “derogatory,” he claimed his freedom of expression was violated, and the deputy’s office asked if he was using his free speech to express his desire of “eating a donkey.”
Keep reading to learn why Webb was arrested over a bumper sticker!
In 2019, a Columbia County sheriff’s 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 – printed in bold white – reads, “I EAT A**.”
In the video, the deputy approaches the passenger side of the truck and after saying, “hello gentleman,” he explains that he pulled the car over due to “the derogatory sticker” displayed on the back of his truck.
In Florida, law prohibits “any sticker, decal emblem or other device attached to a motor vehicle containing obscene descriptions, photographs or depictions.”
“How’s it derogatory?” Webb asks from inside the car.
The officer replies, “How’s it not derogatory?”
“Some 10-year-old kid sitting in the passenger seat of his momma’s vehicle looks over and sees ‘I eat a**’ and asks his mom what it means,” English says. “How is she going to explain that?”
Sniping back, the driver provides the wrong answer: “That’s the parent’s job, not my job,” Webb says before he’s asked to present his driver’s license and registration.
After stepping out of the vehicle, Webb is searched, and the deputy tells him the sticker is a “misdemeanor violation of Florida’s obscene materials law.”
“I have four kids…if my 6-year-old was to look at me and like, ‘dad what does I eat a** mean?…he’s curious…and the way [you] handled this situation, I’m not pleased with,” 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 “A**” to read “AS.” 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, who’s leaning against his car, looking at his cellphone.
“All right Mr. Webb. Place your hands behind your back,” Webb is told. When he asks “why?” he learns “because you’re going to jail.”
Asking “for what?” English explains that he was given “the option to take that off” the window, but he “refused.”
He was then arrested and charged with the additional offense of “resisting an officer without violence.”
‘Perverted mind’
“They’re just words,” Webb later told First Coast News. “If that’s how they feel, if they have a perverted mind, that’s on them.”
But according to Sergeant Murray Smith of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, it wasn’t just the words on the sticker that Deputy English determined was illegal.
“It was the obscene phrase depicting what the deputy thought was a sexual act, which is obscene by definition,” said Smith. “What would a reasonable citizen think? Is the guy eating a donkey or is he doing a sexual act?”
The incident captured the attention of a lot of social media users, the majority who defended Webb.
“So what if he eats donkey. What’s the big deal?” asks one netizen. Another, referring to English speaking of his child’s potential reaction to the sticker, says, “Since when are a cop’s feelings deserving of an arrest?”
“I live here and as soon as we heard he got arrested we all went and got the sticker and put it on [our] trucks,” pens a third.
Another adds, “He better keep his kids off the internet. They will see far worse than this.”
The State Attorney’s 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 “arguably justified under Florida’s obscenity law,” giving the officer and his supervisor “qualified immunity,” 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.
What are your thoughts on this story? Please share your thoughts with us and then share it with your friends so we can get the conversation going!
Woman Suspected Her Husband of Cheating with Their Cleaning Lady – The Reality Left Her Shocked
John and Sarah don’t have much time for housework because they are so focused on their careers. John decides to hire a cleaner in order to ease their lives. However, the pair quickly discovers that drama has entered their house.
John, my spouse, and I have always placed a high value on our careers. However, our careers have taken off so much that we hardly have time to maintain our house.
As an architect, I have to travel frequently between locations, but John works remotely as long as he has access to a computer.
I have a close friendship with John. The motto “work hard, play harder” has always been appealing to us. We put in a lot of work, and when we can, we take the nicest vacations.
–Promotion–
But lately, I’ve started to doubt John despite my better judgment.
He made a big decision around six months ago when he hired Vanessa, a cleaner who was referred to him by a nearby organization.
One morning as he was drinking his coffee, he commented, “It’s just to help us around the house, Sarah.”
I wasn’t sure whether I wanted a stranger to search our house when we weren’t there, but I answered, “I think we can manage.”
John remarked, “We’ve been so behind on laundry.” “Our hours are insane.” We can carry on as usual at least with the cleaner, and having a clean house will be a plus.
In the end, I caved. I was sick of doing laundry at night and then forgetting about it, I had to admit.
Then, though, things changed.
John was a home worker, as far as I knew.
I’m just in my comfort zone, so it’s easier. Additionally, I can think more clearly when my coworkers aren’t talking,” he remarked.
Vanessa came to live with us as a cleaner, and I saw that John spent more time working from home. I dismissed it at first, figuring it was just a coincidence, but I also knew Vanessa was a really beautiful woman.
I would obsess on John’s actions at home, convinced that he was having an affair with Vanessa, rather than focusing at work.
I completed the task at hand.
One day, I left work early, knowing that John had chosen to work from home and that Vanessa would be spending the day at our house.
Silently driving back to our home, I wondered what I would do if I discovered them in compromised positions.
I told myself, You’re going to leave him. After you depart, you’ll begin a new life.
When I entered the house, I expected to see John at his desk, but his home office was unoccupied.
I assumed Vanessa would be in the kitchen when I stepped in, but it was also empty.
There was laughter coming from my room as I ascended the stairs, and there were garments all over my bedroom door threshold.
Heart thumping from the impending sight, I stormed into our bedroom. Even though it was a gut punch, it was a man I had never seen before, not John, who was sleeping on the bed with Vanessa.
I was so angry because I couldn’t believe my own family had betrayed me.
“What’s happening here?” With a voice quivering from anger and amazement, I demanded. The fact that the man wasn’t John relieved me. But why did Vanessa think it was acceptable to let someone else sleep in our bed?
Vanessa was stunned, her eyes bulging with shame, as the unidentified man struggled to put on his clothes.
“We… “Ma’am, I didn’t mean for this to happen,” she stumbled and shook her head, trying to defend her conduct.
I ordered them to leave my house or face the repercussions of their behavior, but her words were ignored.
I resisted, threatening to call the cops. After telling her partner to leave the house, Vanessa stayed back.
“Allow me to clarify,” she said.
I couldn’t think of the right words to describe why I didn’t want to look at her for another second as I gazed at her.
“All I wanted was a job,” she declared. And I was really appreciative that the agency paired me up with John and you. However, as I got to know this guy, I started to feel something for him.
“For what duration has this been ongoing?” Not wanting to hear more, I asked.
“Just a few weeks, tops,” she remarked. However, I’ve been dating Julian for some time. I asked him over as soon as I realized I would be alone at home today.
Calmly, I told her to get outside. “Just get out of my house.”
John was at the grocery store when I called him.
He said, “I just came to get some stuff for dinner.”
When I informed him what had happened, he promised to come home right away.
I made John replace our dirty bedding as soon as he got home from Vanessa and Julian’s afternoon activities.
It seems that John had naively trusted Vanessa without realizing her true intentions.
John remarked, “She became a companion.” Nothing more than someone to flirt with. Furthermore, I was unaware that she was entertaining guests.
“Why do you work from home on the days that she shows up for work? To make out? I insisted.
Sarah, not at all. Not initially. I wanted to be here while she worked since I knew you were hesitant to have a stranger in our house. However, it evolved into something a bit more,” he said, running his fingers through his hair.
“So what?” he enquired.
I said, “We report her.”
I went down to the agency the next day and reported Vanessa. Thankfully, they acknowledged the betrayal of confidence and professionalism and handled our issue with diligence.
Vanessa’s employment with the agency ended, and she was cut off from our house.
Following the entire incident, John and I reduced our work hours. We came to the conclusion that spending time together and mending our relationship’s fissures was the only way to get it back together.
I made a promise to myself that I would leave if I even suspected adultery, but eventually I came to the conclusion that I didn’t want to face life without John.
We’re determined to come out stronger, so we’re starting therapy soon.
Do you have any comparable tales?
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