Man Convicted Of High-speed Sonora Chase Will Remain Behind Bars
Sonora, California –– Tuolumne County District Attorney Laura Krieg objected to the early release of 51-year-old Bryan Lee Beenblossom citing he had only served 10 years of a 21 year sentence for his dangerous run from the law in 2006.
Krieg reported on Friday that Beenblossom of Sonora was denied early release from prison by the Board of Parole Hearings following his 2007 conviction for evading officers while driving recklessly through stoplights, colliding with vehicles and reaching speed 70 mph during a chase. In 2016, Beenblossom became eligible for parole due to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Non-Violent Second Striker program, which was enacted in 2015 to address prison overcrowding. The program allows for inmates not convicted of a violent crime to seek early release once a prisoner is within 1 year of serving 50 percent of their sentence.
In September of last year, District Attorney Krieg was notified of Beenblossom’s possible early release via letter. “When I got this particular inmate I was surprised because we feel he is everything except non-violent,” stated D.A. Krieg. She adds, “We immediately responded and objected due to not only his committed offense, which was very, very dangerous his evading [law enforcement] that put the public at risk, but also due to the fact that he had been put on parole or probation fourteen times previously and had violated that eighteen times.” (Further details regarding Beenblossom’s crime can be found here.)
The Board of Parole Hearings citing the District Attorney’s letter in its decision to deny Beenblossom’s early release.
