Crime spree in Chico

On Monday night (May 21), Chico police arrested Adam Parsons (pictured) after a bizarre crime spree that included him allegedly holding up an AM/PM with a hammer/hatchet, stealing a tow-truck and using it to ram into several vehicles, including two police cars, and entering multiple homes and terrorizing the residents—one of whom was an 88-year-old woman.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of Parsons. Five years ago, the CN&R published a story about Proposition 36, which altered California’s three-strikes law to require the third strike be a violent offense. At that time, Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey offered the CN&R a few examples of why that law was flawed. One of them was Parsons, who had two prior convictions for armed robberies. What would have been his third strike—for escaping Butte County Jail—was reduced to an ordinary offense under Prop. 36. Instead of serving 25-to-life, he was set free.