Charleston, SC | Breaking News, Sports, WeatherWoman's trial for controversial truck 'ornament' postponed

Woman's trial for controversial truck 'ornament' postponed

BONNEAU, S.C. (WCIV) -- A woman's jury trial over a controversial truck ‘ornament' has been postponed. Virginia Tice, of Bonneau, was given a $445 ticket for dangling, what police called, an obscene ornament on her bumper.

Tice will now have to wait longer for her day in court. In July, she was pulled over for hanging the objects from her trailer hitch. Wednesday was supposed to be the first day of her jury trial to fight the ticket she got. That didn't happen.

"This is our criminal justice system at work," said Tice's attorney, Scott Bischoff. "It may seem like a huge waste of time to a number of people and I understand that, but to Ms. Tice it's important to exercise her right to a trial."

Bischoff filed a motion of continuance to delay the trial. He says Bonneau only provided a pool of 27 jurors, the law requires 30.

"They simply did not put enough people on the jury list, by statute, to move forward," Bischoff said.

Since Tice got the ticket, the nature of what she did has been a popular topic around town.

"Everybody is pretty much on her side that we talked to out here at the beach, everybody," said William Driggers. "Everybody's got them hanging off their car, trucks especially, I guess just to prove you got a set."

Bonneau Police Chief Franco Fuda would like to prove otherwise. He made the traffic stop on Tice, and will be the one to prosecute her. And no matter how long it takes he's determined to do so.

"It's always been the same, it's the law," Fuda said. "The law was broken and we're going to prosecute it."

Fuda feels the truck ornaments are obscene. He says he'll try to prove that when Tice returns to court. Until then the jury remains out on how appropriate, or not, the 'ornaments' are.

Tice's trial will now likely be postponed until January. The state of South Carolina does have an obscene bumper sticker law.

Tice has not commented the situation.