Richard Sheridan, the perennial gadfly candidate accused of painting "666" on a number of local buildings and landmarks, is out of jail. He was released at 7 a.m. Sunday, he says, but not before he was able to persuade 10 people inside to vote for him in May 9's mayoral election if they get out in time.
Twelve buildings, most associated with Dallas' LGBTQ community or the media -- including the Observer -- were tagged with "666" on June 28. Sheridan is the only suspected to have been identified and has been interviewed by the police three times, he says. The last of those interviews, according to Sheridan, happened in August or September last year, so he was surprised when he was arrested and charged with two of the taggings -- of Cathedral of Hope and the "Legacy of Love" monument in Oak Lawn -- on Friday.
"Everything's going good, you know what I'm saying? Then six, six police officers showed up. Six! I got my dirty sweat pants and shirt on, just getting ready to take a shower. I had to go to the bathroom both ways, and six of them are out there. Right away, cuffs. I told [the cops] 'Can't I get dressed or whatever?' 'No.' 'Can't I go to the bathroom, I gotta go both ways, there could be an accident?' 'You have to wait until you get down there.' So they picked me up at one [p.m. on Friday] and I just got out at seven [Sunday morning]."
Now that he's been arrested for the defacements, Sheridan is willing to admit that he was involved in the incidents, although he wouldn't confirm that he was actually at any of the locations when the taggings took place.
"I was involved with it, at this point, I was involved with it," he says. "It was a biblical warning, and, by the way, just so you know, it's not only the gay community that's gone too far, the heterosexual debauched community has gone too far, racism has gone too far, politics corruption has gone too far. I can give you a list of 10 that have gone too far that need biblical warnings."
Sheridan says sites important to the gay community were hit in the attacks because the Dallas LGBTQ community is especially powerful.
"They really, really [are], particularly in Dallas. Dallas is a major power center in the gay community. San Francisco is another one, by the way. New York," Sheridan says.
As for Tuesday's Dallas Bar Association mayoral candidate forum at the Belo Mansion, Sheridan says he still plans to show up, even if his invitation gets canceled, and pass out fliers.
Not among Sheridan's plans for the future is taking a plea bargain in the graffiti case, despite the fact that he's facing two felonies.
"I'm not pleading nothing, I want this to go to a court of law. This trial, it could be the new Scopes trial. What could be so great as deciding what marriage is in a court of law? Give it to a jury," Sheridan says.
