Kevin.Maurer@StarNewsOnline.com
Allen Strickland's drive to make money started with a lawn mower and a will to work.
As a boy, he'd ride around Tabor City on his mower working for neighbors and friends. Family members who remembered seeing him said they admired his work ethic and his inquisitive nature.
And Strickland was always hustling to make a dollar, clearing tables at Todd House restaurant on Live Oak Street when he wasn't out landscaping.
Family members recalled Strickland having at least $200 from mowing lawns when he was 11 years old. The family members said they thought Strickland's initiative for making money was his way of compensating for not having a father or any close family. His mother gave birth to him while she was in prison, family members said, and he was then raised by aunts and uncles.
After meeting former State Sen. R.C. Soles at the Todd House when he was 14 years old, Strickland traded mowing for easy money. Now he has a Mercedes, a house in Tabor City purchased by Soles, and at least one newly purchased mobile home and land nearby.
It's unclear exactly how much money Soles has given Strickland over the years, but both the former senator and Strickland have admitted the money changes hands.
Strickland's lifestyle offers a glimpse of what it means to have a relationship with Soles. The 19-year-old is one of several men associated with Soles who face charges that often get dismissed or dropped and who spend money extravagantly despite having no apparent job or income.
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