A northeast Ohio man accused of
making fun of a young girl with cerebral palsy has been sentenced to a month in
jail according to Fox News.com.
Canton Municipal Judge
John A. Poulos ordered the maximum sentence for 43-year-old William Bailey, who
pleaded no contest Tuesday to reduced misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct
and aggravated menacing.
The (Canton) Repository reports that Bailey was
caught on cellphone video at a school bus stop in October making fun of how the
10-year-old disabled girl walks. The video of him seemingly imitating her limp
was disseminated online and on local TV news. Bailey denied he was mocking the
girl, saying he was reacting to name-calling directed at his 9-year-old son.
The video was shot in
October by Hope Holocomb's grandmother at a bus stop, and shows what appears to
be both Bailey and his son each walking with a pronounced limp.
Bailey, for his part,
declined to talk on camera, but at the time told The New York Daily News that
he was injured on the job and was suffering from bruised ribs and twisted back
when the video was shot.
His wife told Fox8.com
that this is all part of an ongoing dispute and that Hope's family has called
her son names.
Bailey apologized to the girl and her family in
a statement Tuesday.
