A North Carolina judge has sentenced three men to public humiliation after they pleaded guilty to domestic violence.
(FOX)- Guildford County District Court Judge Mark Cummings ordered the men to carry signs outside the courthouse that read, “This is the face of domestic violence.”
“It’s pure hell, that’s what it’s like,” Melvin Southerland, one of the men, told Fox 8. “It’s hell, it’s embarrassment.”
Southerland joined Josh Hill, who also plead guilty to assault on a female last week, in standing outside the courthouse Wednesday.
“My friends now think I beat on women,” said Hill. “And I don’t.”
While both pleaded guilty in court, they both say they didn’t do it. They claim they pleaded guilty so they could get out of jail and move on.
“[The judge] said I could do 15 days in jail or stand out here,” Southerland said. “So I choose to come out here.”
Southerland says he chose to carry the sign so he wouldn’t miss class for his associate’s degree. Hill says he choose to carry the sign instead of spending 150 days in jail.