Still on patrol

Former Chico City Council member and retired California Highway Patrol officer Tom Nickell helped bring a prowler into police custody on Tuesday (March 31).

He left his house on Vallombrosa Avenue shortly after 8 a.m. and saw a suspicious-looking character slowly riding his bike down the street, stopping in yards and peering into homes. “I said, ‘Nope, this doesn’t look right,” Nickell explained. “My red flag was flying. This guy was up to no good.”

Nickell followed the man as he rode into the yard of one of his neighbors, who happened to be at home. When confronted, the man claimed to be a roofer surveying the neighborhood. “He got mad at me, asked, ‘Why are you following me?’ And then he rides off.”

Nickell called police, who arrested Jeffrey Hamill for prowling. Hamill was allegedly in possession of drug paraphernalia and burglary tools.