Court Orders Man to Hold "I AM A BULLY" Sign for Five Hours
Last week, a judge ordered an Ohio man who harassed his neighbor and her disabled children to stand on a street corner for five hours while holding a sign that says "I AM A BULLY!"
For the past 15 years, Edmond Aviv, 62, has fought over trivial matters with his neighbor, Sandra Prugh who has two disabled adult children and a husband with dementia. Over the course of the feud, Aviv repeatedly spit on Prugh, insulted her children, smeared feces on her son's car and wheelchair ramp, and called her an ethnic slur at least once. From CBS News:
The most recent case stems from Aviv being annoyed at the smell coming from Prugh's dryer vent when she did laundry, according to court records. In retaliation, Aviv hooked up kerosene to a fan, which blew the smell onto Pugh's property, the records said.
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Prugh said in a letter to the court that Aviv had called her an ethnic slur while she was holding her adopted black children, spit on her several times, regularly threw dog feces on her son's car windshield and once smeared feces on the family's wheelchair ramp.
"I am very concerned for the safety of our family," Prugh wrote in a letter to the court for Aviv's sentencing. She told the newspaper she just wants to live in peace.
Municipal Court Judge Gayle Williams-Byers found Aviv guilty of a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct and ordered him to hold the sign, which reads: "I AM A BULLY! I pick on children that are disabled, and I am intolerant of those that are different from myself. My actions do not reflect an appreciation for the diverse South Euclid community that I live in."
Aviv was also sentenced to 15 days in jail and ordered to attend anger management classes.
Aviv carried out the sign part of the sentence on Sunday, sitting beside a busy road in South Euclid, Ohio. Dozens of motorists honked and several stopped to take pictures with the 62-year-old. As you might expect, Aviv wasn't thrilled with the punishment.
"The judge destroyed me," Aviv told the Northeast Ohio Media Group. "This isn't fair at all."
[Image via AP]