Charges dropped against boy who scribbled graffiti in concrete

Monday, June 8, 1998 | 10:30 a.m.

The charges were dropped after 11-year-old Jeremy Anderson completed a YMCA youth program.

Meanwhile, an arbitrator is considering the boy's civil lawsuit against a police officer and the owner of a development company.

The boy was charged with felony vandalism for scribbling his name and other graffiti in a 350-foot stretch of concrete on a newly-poured sidewalk.

He was arrested at his school on Jan. 28, 1997 and taken to a juvenile facility, where he was strip-searched.

His mother, Barbara Anderson, expressed outrage at the handling of the case, saying police never contacted her before the arrest. Police say they tried several times to contact the mother, but were ignored.

The boy eventually pleaded no contest to a reduced gross misdemeanor vandalism charge. He paid $100 to the union that repaired the sidewalk and was ordered to complete the YMCA youth program.

archive