© 2026 WRVO Public Media
NPR News for Central New York
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Ohio Is Publicly Shaming Another Convicted Idiot

Richard Dameron tells Cleveland's WKYC-TV he's sorry for drunkenly dialing 911. A judge says he has to stand outside a police station each day this week to show that to the city.
WKYC.com
Richard Dameron tells Cleveland's WKYC-TV he's sorry for drunkenly dialing 911. A judge says he has to stand outside a police station each day this week to show that to the city.

Drive by the police station in Cleveland's second district this week and you'll likely see 58-year-old Richard Dameron standing outside with a sign that reads:

"I apologize to officer Simone & all police officers for being an idiot calling 911 threatening to kill you. I'm sorry and it will never happen again."

Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Pinkey Carr, who last year famously sentenced a woman to stand on a street corner with a sign declaring "only an idiot would drive on the sidewalk to avoid a school bus," has handed down another such punishment.

Dameron tells Cleveland's WKYC-TV that "I was under the influence of alcohol" when he called 911 and issued the threats. "I do feel bad about it."

He later missed a court appearance. Now, Dameron's under orders to be outside the police station with his sign each day this week.

(H/T to Gawker.)

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.
Recent cuts to federal funding are challenging our mission to serve central and upstate New York with trusted journalism, vital local coverage, and the diverse programming that informs and connects our communities. This is the moment to join our community of supporters and help keep journalists on the ground, asking hard questions that matter to our region.

Stand with public media and make your gift today—not just for yourself, but for all who depend on WRVO as a trusted resource and civic cornerstone in central and upstate New York.