14 DAY TRIAL // An Ohio judge who presided over an unusual bullying case in South Euclid thought of an unusual sentence for a 62-year-old man who was found guilty of harassing his neighbors.
South Euclid Municipal Court Judge Gayle Williams-Byers ordered Edmond Aviv, the man convicted of harassment, to stand on a street corner over the weekend holding a sign that said he was a bully.
For 15 years, Aviv has been bullying a family living next door on Trebisky Road, including two adopted African American children with disabilities.
According to court records, the feud between Aviv and Sandra Prugh dates back to 1998, when the man jogged past his neighbor and spit on her. After that, a whole series of unpleasant incidents followed, in which Aviv did some awful things to his neighbors.
As a punishment, he will have to stand at the intersection of Monticello Boulevard and Trebisky Road between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Sunday with a sign that 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.”
Moreover, the judge made it clear that the sign's letters must be large enough for people to read the sign from 25 feet (8 meters) away.
In addition to this unique punishment, Aviv's sentence also says that he will have to spend 15 days in jail, seven months on probation, perform 100 hours of community service, attend anger management classes and personal counseling sessions at the Diversity Center of Cleveland.
By the looks of it, the conflict between Aviv and the Prugh family was not just a garden variety dispute between neighbors, as the bully would always find an excuse to pick on them.
“He would do things like shine a spotlight at their house at three in the morning so the family couldn’t sleep. Then he would play loud music. He also shoveled dog feces onto the car of the one son who is a caretaker to the disabled children. He did this every day,” said judge Williams-Byers, according to Fox8.
Michael Prugh, Sandra Prugh's son, detailed the bullying and explained that his neighbor regularly threw dog feces into their yard and on their car, called Prugh a “monkey momma” because the adopted kids were black and used the slur while she was holding them.
Moreover, in one occasion, Aviv allegedly set up a high dryer vent in his garage to blow kerosene fumes towards the Prughs' house. Many other incidents were detailed during the trial, where Aviv pleaded no contest to the charges.