Edmond Aviv

Edmond Aviv, 62, sits at the intersection of Trebisky Road and Monticello Boulevard on Sunday with a court-ordered sign that says he bullied disabled children.

(Adam Ferrise, NEOMG)

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio — The man accused of bullying his neighbor for the past 15 years is standing at an intersection here with a sign that says he bullied disabled children following a judge’s order.

Edmond Aviv, 62, started serving part of his court sentence at 9 a.m. on Sunday.

Aviv, who pleaded no contest to a fourth-degree misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct, is ordered to stand at the intersection until 2 p.m. with the sign that says: "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 walked up to the intersection about 8:57 a.m. on Sunday with his sign, written in black marker on the side of a cardboard box. The first horn-honking from a driver came about 9:02 a.m.

The unusual sentence handed down by South Euclid Municipal Court Judge Gayle Williams-Byers garnered national and international attention.

Williams-Byers also sentenced Aviv to 15 days in jail, seven months on probation, 100 hours of community service, anger management classes and personal counseling at the Diversity Center of Cleveland.

Aviv's attorney, Scott Fierman, declined to comment on the case.

Court records say Aviv feuded with neighbor Sandra Prugh during the last 15 years. Prugh has two adult adopted children with developmental disabilities, cerebral palsy and epilepsy, a husband suffering from dementia and a paralyzed son.

The neighbor, Sandra Prugh, previously said in a brief phone interview that she just wants to live in peace. She also said her family put so much money into making their home wheelchair accessible they are unable to move from their current home.

Records say the most recent case stemmed from Aviv being annoyed at the smell coming from Prugh's dryer vent when she did laundry.

Court records say Aviv tried to sue the family in 2010 because the smell bothered him. The case was thrown out. Shortly after, Aviv dumped fabric softener on Prugh's lawn, the letter says.

Court records say Aviv made a device that linked kerosene to a fan in his garage. The fan blew the smell onto Prugh's property, reports say.

Prugh called police on April 9 and April 11, 2013, reports say. Firefighters and police discovered the kerosene contraption and made Aviv dismantle it, reports say.

Court and police records say the dispute between Aviv and Prugh dates back 15 years.

Prugh's letter to the court says that in 1998, Aviv jogged past her and spit on her. He later spit on her again while she was planting flowers in her backyard, the letter says.

Aviv later called Prugh a "monkey momma," according to the letter. The letter says Aviv used the slur while she held her two adopted African-American children with disabilities.

Prugh also claimed Aviv regularly threw dog feces on her son's car windshield and once smeared feces on a new wheelchair ramp the family built for their disabled children.

Aviv, an electrician, according to records, has been convicted three other times for harassment involving his neighbors.

In Aviv's court-ordered apology letter to Prugh, he says he hopes they can put 15 years of disputes behind them.

"I want to express my sincere apology for acting irrationally towards your house and the safety of your children," Aviv wrote. "I understand my actions could have caused harm but at that time I was not really thinking about it."