Ohio Man Sentenced To Jail For Teasing Girl With Cerebral Palsy

Canton, OH – A 43-year-old man has been sentenced to time in jail for teasing a 10-year-old girl with cerebral palsy, according to ABC News.

William Bailey was captured on video making fun of the way Hope Holcomb walked as she exited a school bus. The father of five was clearly amused by the way cerebral palsy had affected her body, prompting him to do an exaggerated imitation of her walk while his son looked on.

Canton Municipal Court Judge John A. Poulos was clearly unhappy with Bailey’s antics. For making fun of the disabled girl, William will spend 29 days behind bars.

The Canton Rep explained that an ongoing feud between the families played a part in the teasing. Hope Holcomb’s mother Tricia Knight explained Bailey’s harassing behavior began last year. At one point during their unfriendly exchanges, the 43-year-old father allegedly threatened to choke Knight until she “stopped twitching.”

Bailey claims his teasing of the disable girl was prompted by Knight making fun of his son’s attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

“I told my son, ‘If they want to call us retard, we’ll show them a retard.’ And we walked to the car from the bus like that. I did that with my son. I never meant that or anything at all toward little Hope. I don’t make fun of anybody with a disability,” he explained.

William Bailey was charged with disorderly conduct for his behavior at the bus stop. Although the misdemeanor charge generally carries no jail time, the judge took into account the other incidents between the families when making his ruling.

Bailey entered a plea of “no contest” to the charges against him. His sentence is presently scheduled to begin on January 2, 2013. Unfortunately, Knight doesn’t think the man who made fun of her daughter will change his ways.

“I don’t think this sentence will change things because it hasn’t so far,” she said.

Do you think 29 days in jail is a fair sentence for a man who teased a little girl with cerebral palsy?