‘Clownzo’ Arrested for Failing to Clean Decade’s Worth of Trash : Crime: Terry Knutson neglected to appear at a hearing to determine the condition of his property.

A professional clown was arrested by Los Angeles police Friday for failing to clean up mounds of clutter that have accumulated inside and around his home for more than a decade.

Officers took Terry Knutson, 41, into custody on a $15,000 arrest warrant that a judge issued in September after Knutson, who uses the professional name “Clownzo,” violated his probation by failing to appear at a court hearing to determine whether he had cleaned up his property.

“Building inspectors went out and took a look at his property today and it appears it’s in worse condition today than it has ever been,” Deputy City Atty. Donald Cocek said. “This has been going on for a long, long time. I wish he would just get the place cleaned up.”

A jury convicted Knutson, a self-described “pack rat,” in October of last year on six misdemeanor counts relating to the mess. Van Nuys Municipal Judge Alice Altoon sentenced Knutson in April to eight months in jail after he repeatedly failed to remove garbage and debris from his yard and home in the 15000 block of Vintage Street, following his conviction.

Knutson was released in July and became a fugitive in September, when he missed the court hearing. The Los Angeles city attorney’s office filed a notice of probation violation against Knutson on Friday and a hearing has been scheduled for Monday.

Neighbors have complained about the unsightly conditions of Knutson’s home for more than a decade, prompting numerous investigations by city fire and building and safety inspectors.

Knutson was convicted in 1989 of using a nail-studded board to attack a city fire inspector, who was removing garbage from his front yard. On Friday, Jim Ashby, a senior investigator for the Department of Building and Safety, described Knutson’s yard as a myriad of violations.

“When does a collection become a junkyard?” asked Ashby, who had investigated Knutson’s property earlier in the day.

“It’s kind of like a car that hasn’t had any maintenance in 200,000 miles,” Ashby said. “Everything about it is worn and sad.”

Ashby cautioned that the numerous violations pose a risk to both Knutson and his neighbors. For example, it would be difficult for firefighters to make their way through Knutson’s home, which itself is cluttered with combustible materials such as newspapers, clothing and lumber.

Los Angeles County health inspectors also previously determined that mounds of garbage on Knutson’s property had become a haven for rodents, which have infested the nearby neighborhood.

“It’s a hard case because there is a lot to be done, but he hasn’t shown any ambition to take care of it,” Ashby said.