Dallas Mayoral Candidate Arrested for Painting "666" on Local Buildings, Landmarks, Us

Richard Sheridan -- perennial gadfly candidate, profane voicemail leaver and word-salad chef extraordinaire -- has been arrested in connection with the June 2014 tagging of a number of Dallas buildings, including the Legacy of Love Monument in Oak Lawn, the Cathedral of Hope and the building where the Observer is...

By Stephen Young

March 27, 2015

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Richard Sheridan -- perennial gadfly candidate, profane voicemail leaver and word-salad chef extraordinaire -- has been arrested in connection with the June 2014 tagging of a number of Dallas buildings, including the Legacy of Love Monument in Oak Lawn, the Cathedral of Hope and the building where the Observer is located.

Sheridan, who's currently running against Mike Rawlings and Marcos Ronquillo for mayor, was picked up Friday afternoon after a grand jury indicted him for painting "666" on the monument and Cathedral of Hope, the two incidents for which Dallas police have the best case against Sheridan, the department said.

Both charges are state jail felonies, Assistant Dallas Police Chief Randy Blankenbaker said at a press conference, but if prosecutors prove that Sheridan chose to tag Legacy of Love and Cathedral of Hope because of their significance to the gay community, the charges could be upgraded to third-degree felonies.

The candidate told the Morning News in August that he wasn't responsible for the graffiti but that he knew who was. He agreed with the tags, he said, because they were an "act of love" and a warning. Of what, he didn't say, but a January Facebook post gives us some clues:

Who wants to stop the GAY MARRIAGE ATTACK ON OUR CHRISTIAN NATION?WE MUST DO ALL WE CAN TO HELP STOP THE SODOMITES...
Posted by Richard Sheridan on Monday, January 12, 2015

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