8/7/97
CONTACT: Lisa Trei, News Service (415) 725-0224
John Jason Lunn has pleaded no contest to charges that he scrawled homophobic graffiti inside the Bollard Eating Club at Governor's Corner on April 7.
Lunn, a senior and a member of the Stanford track team, was sentenced in Palo Alto Municipal Court on July 31 to two years probation, fined $100 and told to perform 160 hours of community service, according to court records. He also must seek counseling and refrain from drinking alcohol.
Lunn, 22, his girlfriend and another man entered the eating club early on April 7. His girlfriend, who was not charged, later told police that they had gone to a movie the previous evening and then returned to Lunn's room where they started drinking. They then went to the Bollard Club to look for something to eat.
Police records show that Lunn, who had just returned from a track meet in Texas, started writing homophobic phrases on the walls and tablecloths like "Gays should kill themselves" and "Faggots are the downfall of the U.S.!" that he said reflected how Texans feel about homosexuals. His girlfriend and the second man, who also was not charged, told police that they asked Lunn to stop but he ignored them. The next day, coffee grounds and frozen juice bars were found strewn on the floor of the kitchen and a wall clock was missing, but later returned by Lunn's girlfriend, the reports say.
Lunn, who was not present in court during the sentencing for the misdemeanor crime, must pay his fine by Sept. 5 and perform the community service by his next court date, set for Dec. 3.
-30-
By Lisa Trei