County’s hands tied on ‘ugly’ language displayed near elementary school

Officials say there’s nothing they can do about a truck with “ugly” language on U.S. Route 701 near Homewood Elementary School.

The truck has been in other locations along U.S. Route 701 for years, but now it’s less than a half mile north of the school that serves over 600 students.

The sign painted on the side of a truck located just north of the school uses the words “sl*t” and “b*tch” and targets Horry County Clerk of Court Melanie Huggins-Ward.

“I think it’s inappropriate,” said Camillia Parker, who has a daughter attending Homewood Elementary.

Parker said she’s seen the truck in other places, but never this close to the school.

“It should definitely not be within their eyesight," Parker said. "I’m sure they’re going to see inappropriate things and hear inappropriate things, but it doesn’t mean it needs to be right there, that close to the school within traveling distance if we can help it.”

Parker said if her daughter asks about the sign, she would tell her that those aren’t words she should use.

“I’ve been teaching her from an early age that Jesus doesn’t like ugly,” she said. “I would tell her that that falls into that category, that’s ugly.”

Janice Norris owns the land where the truck is located, according to Horry County’s geographic information system, and she’s married to bail bondsman Wendell Norris, according to court documents.

In 2012, Wendell Norris lost a libel lawsuit against Huggins-Ward, after she sent a memorandum in 2010 to area magistrates and municipal judges informing them Norris had not paid his $150 registration fee and wasn’t allowed to post bond in the county.

When The Sun News asked Wendell Norris about the sign, he replied:

“None of your g*dd*mn mother f*cking business."

Huggins-Ward, who is retiring in January, declined to comment.

Renee Norris-Elvis, who will take over the clerk of court position in January, would not comment on the sign, but did not deny that she was related to Wendell Norris.

“I’m not doing this interview,” she said.

Horry County Board of Education Chairman Joe DeFeo said he didn’t know about the sign, and would be in favor of rerouting any buses that go by the sign if possible.

“I don’t think there’s anything we can do about it," DeFeo said. "To me that’s not a good impression for our school kids regardless of this beef this person has.”

There are several school bus stops in the neighborhoods surrounding the location of the truck.

The truck is located in District 7, served by board member Janet Graham. She said she’s never had any complaints about it.

“I’ve often wondered why it’s there and what the purpose is,” she said. “It is very disturbing. I’ve often wondered how such words could just be displayed like that and it seems to be okay.”

Horry County officials said there’s nothing that they can do about the truck because it’s on private property.

“This falls under federal freedom of speech law, because although it’s close, it’s not obscene or pornographic, and it’s on a vehicle so it’s not an actual sign,” said county spokeswoman Kelly Brosky. "We have no jurisdiction to do anything about it.”

County sign ordinances prohibit any sign “which exhibits statements, words or pictures of an obscene or pornographic nature.”

Horry County’s planning and zoning department has looked into county ordinances and consulted attorneys about the sign, said county spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier.

“We’ve looked at it,” Bourcier said. “It does not violate our ordinances. There’s been messages painted on private fences that may offend others, but the county’s hands are tied on certain things.”

Coastal Carolina University law professor Frederick Wood agreed that the sign didn’t fit the definition of obscenity.

“Generally speaking, that’s not obscenity,” said Wood. “Obscenity goes back to (Supreme Court case) Miller v. California, and they created a three-pronged test: it has to appeal to a prurient interest, it has to be patently offensive sexual conduct and it has to lack serious artistic, literary, political or scientific value.”

Wood said that obscenity usually relates to pornographic material.

“Looking at the truck, it’s not a visual depiction; it’s not a description of sex, so it doesn’t fit into the obscenity classification,” he said. “In terms of what can be done, there’s not too much. It’s not obscene material, it’s talking about an elected official so it would fall under what we call political speech, which is protected by the first amendment.”

This story was originally published August 26, 2016 at 9:38 AM.