'F--- TRUMP' truck driver has been arrested

Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls is threatening disorderly conduct charges against the owner of a white truck bearing a large "F--- TRUMP" sticker on the back window. Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls is threatening disorderly conduct charges against the owner of a white truck bearing a large "F--- TRUMP" sticker on the back window. Photo: Sheriff Troy Nehls/Facebook Photo: Sheriff Troy Nehls/Facebook Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close 'F--- TRUMP' truck driver has been arrested 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

The woman responsible for the "F--Trump" bumper sticker was arrested Thursday, Nov. 16 for a previous outstanding warrant, according to Fort Bend County jail records.

Karen Fonseca was booked into the jail shortly after 2 p.m. on Thursday for a fraud charge. According to jail records, she is out on bond.

According to the Rosenberg Police Department, Fonseca's felony warrant stems from a June 29, 2015 case for alleged fraudulent possession or use of identifying information. The case was reviewed by a grand jury in July 2017 and the warrant was issued at that time.

No other information on the case is being released at this time.

Fonseca's arrest came after 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: "F--- TRUMP AND F--- 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.

Update: The photo has now been taken down. The sheriff's office released this statement on Thursday afternoon:

"The Sheriff made the post on his Personal page. 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. Due to the hate messages he has been receiving towards his wife and children, the Sheriff will not be commenting on the matter further."

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Turns out, Fonseca said she used to work for Nehls in the county jail.

Fonseca also said the truck belongs to her husband but that she often drives it. They had the sticker made and added it to the window after the billionaire real estate magnate and reality TV star was sworn into office.

The sticker has attracted attention many times before, Fonseca said. People shake their head. They take photos of it. Officers have pulled her over but failed to find a reason for writing a ticket.

"It's not to cause hate or animosity," said Fonseca, 46. "It's just our freedom of speech and we're exercising it."

Concerned that the language could incite a confrontation on county roadways, Nehls said on Facebook that he wanted to have a conversation with the truck owner.

"I have received numerous calls regarding the offensive display on this truck as it is often seen along FM 359," Nehls wrote in his original post. "If you know who owns this truck or it is yours, I would like to discuss it with you."

Nehls wrote on Facebook that a county prosecutor had agreed to accept disorderly conduct charges — an opinion that District Attorney John Healey disputes, as does the ACLU of Texas.

"Many families have called that have seen that truck on our county roadways and are very offended by the language on the truck," Nehls said. "I think they're walking a fine line."

Healey, a Republican not seeking re-election next year, said he wished the sheriff's office had contacted him earlier about the incendiary issue. He said he did not receive a call until around the same time the comments were posted. In disagreeing with his own prosecutor, Healey noted that his office lacked any information about how the public was reacting to the truck.

"I did not believe it was a prosecutable case based on the definition of disorderly conduct," Healey said.

The ACLU of Texas, meanwhile, responded to the sheriff on Facebook. "Constitutional Law 101: You can't ban speech just because it has 'f@ck' in it," the organization posted. "Hey truck owner, feel free to contact the ACLU of Texas."

The sheriff's post quickly went viral, and his office decided to hold a hastily-called afternoon press conference Wednesday, citing "the high volume of interview requests."

Nehls, who has retweeted a video posted by Trump of an arena crowd standing for the national anthem as well as videos of the president defending law enforcement, is no stranger to media attention.

He is known for comments that criminals who enter Fort Bend County could leave in a body bag. He adopted a dog that a television reporter saved while out with the sheriff during the 2016 floods.

The statement on Facebook Wednesday stirred controversy among members of the public. Some on Facebook questioned whether the truck sticker amounts to a violation of the law.

State law describes disorderly conduct as intentionally using "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." The law also prohibits making "an offensive gesture or display in a public place" that could have the same effect.

"I'm glad to see our government officials are concentrating on what's important," Facebook user Antonio Herrera commented on the post.

"It is important to respond to calls from residents, yes," Nehls responded. "Glad we agree on that."

By 7:30 p.m., the post had been shared more than 4,700 times and received nearly 10,000 comments.