John Davis didn't come up with the phrase, "No good deed goes unpunished," but it's understandable if he now believes.

Davis, who lives in Elyria, Ohio, recently exited a freeway offramp when he saw a man in a wheelchair holding a sign with a religious sentiment and also a request for help.

Having a brother who is paralyzed, Davis sympathized with the man's plight, reached into his wallet and grabbed a couple of bucks to give to the man.

But when he stretched his arm out of his window, one of the dollars fell to the ground, requiring the man to bend over and pick it up.

A few minutes later, Davis was driving and a Cleveland cop pulled him over, and what happened next shocked him.

“He proceeds to tell me he’s pulling me over for littering,” Davis told Fox8.com.

To the police officer, the dropped dollar bill violated Section No: 613.06 of Cleveland’s Municipal Codes, which is littering from a motor vehicle.

His offense was listed as, “Throw paper out window,” and in parenthesis, “money to panhandler.”

As a result, Davis faces a $500 fine for one dropped dollar bill, according to World Net Daily.

Police officials refused to comment on the ticket, but one newspaper points out that Davis may have been cited incorrectly. Another city ordinance states it is illegal to “transfer currency… to any person standing on a street or highway” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Davis said he admires the Cleveland police, and isn’t trying to start trouble, but doesn't want to pay for simply trying to help out someone less fortunate.

“I don’t mean any disrespect toward the police department at all we need ‘em but I just wish I didn’t have to pay this ticket,” Davis told Fox8.com.

Still, the experience has made him less likely to give money to those in need.

“I’d like to do it again but I’m petrified I’m going to get a ticket,” he said.