Mother of Vandal Is on Beautification Panel
The Lawndale City Council was taken aback Friday when it learned that the mother of a teen-ager arrested for defacing businesses with graffiti had been appointed to the local Beautification Committee.
“That’s where I heard the name before,” said Councilman Larry Rudolph of Terri Strohm’s appointment.
The 39-year-old homemaker’s son, Kri, was arrested in April after Gary MacDonald, then chairman of the Planning Commission, spotted Strohm scrawling graffiti on several businesses. MacDonald pursued Strohm through rush-hour traffic and made a citizen’s arrest. The incident occurred during a well-publicized community crackdown on graffiti.
Kri Strohm pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of vandalism and was sentenced to two days in County Jail, three years’ probation and ordered to perform community service. His mother said her son’s arrest was unfortunate. She said she looked forward to her assignment, adding, “I hope I can benefit Lawndale because I think it needs some improvement.”
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