A San Luis Obispo man was found guilty of arson on Friday — the fifth time he has been convicted of such crimes — and will be sentenced to at least 25 years in prison, the SLO County District Attorney’s Office said in a press release.
Bradley Norman Parrish, 54, set fire to land along the San Luis Obispo Creek near the Elks Lodge on June 13, 2022, the agency said.
Two bystanders noticed the smoke and rushed to use shovels to put out the fire, but Parrish said they had to let the flames burn — one of the bystanders threatened “if he didn’t have a shovel in his hand, he’d fight him,” according to the press release.
The SLO City Fire Department extinguished the fire before it could set buildings on fire, the agency said.
Parrish had been convicted of arson four times before setting fire to land near Elks Lodge, “three of which were ‘serious’ or ‘violent’ strike violations under California’s Three Strikes sentencing law,” the press release said.
Due to his previous convictions, Parrish faces a prison sentence of at least 25 years, the agency said.
On September 19, Parrish will appear in Section 10 of the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court for sentencing. Judge Jesse Marino will sentence him, the agency said.
Parrish is currently incarcerated in the San Luis Obispo County Jail.
