ST. LOUIS - He was accused of bullying and a judge kicked him out of his own home. Now, with the trial behind him, the accused bully says the court went too far.
The accused bully, Dan Scott, was sentenced Friday to a year of probation, community service, and anger management. But he says he's already served the harshest part of his punishment, by being forced from his home for nearly a year-and-a-half.
His home is in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood. It's an area on the upswing, but with a violent past.
"This was a dangerous, high-drug, high-crime neighborhood. And I was only able to buy property here because no one wanted it," said Scott.
So, Scott took advantage of the cheap property. And the more property he bought, the more he got involved in the neighborhood. Eventually, he even started several programs for area youth.
"We want to encourage them to be engaged, to participate," said Scott.
But some neighbors say if Scott sounds like Dr. Jekyll, they know him as Mr. Hyde. One woman we spoke with wouldn't go on camera for fear of retaliation. She says Scott harasses and threatens people, sometimes bringing his supporters in to surround and yell at them.
According to court documents, it's this type of behavior that landed Scott in jail for more than a month, and charged with harassment. He was let go until his November trial on the condition he wear an ankle bracelet and stay away from the neighborhood.
"I had to find a place to live, they made me homeless," said Scott.
He was also banned from his youth programs and job as a landlord for a period of 17 months. He claims he was targeted because he feels the neighborhood's original residents are being pushed out, and he's been vocal about it.
"If my voice gets loud or if I sound wacky, that doesn't make me a criminal," said Scott.
Scott admits he's been very vocal at community meetings, especially against the policies of his ward's alderman, who has also claimed he was bullied by Scott. We reached out to Alderman Roddy for an interview, but he declined.
