Returned Prineville fugitive gets 31 years for sex abuse

(Update: Adding defense attorney’s request, no statement by Parrish in court)

A 66-year-old former Prineville resident who spent three years on the run until an online “most wanted” list led to his capture in California two years ago has been sentenced to more than 31 years in prison after his conviction for sexually abusing a family member, Crook County District Attorney Wade Whiting said Wednesday.

Stanley Richard Parrish received a 375-month prison term from Circuit Judge Daniel Ahern during a sentencing hearing Tuesday afternoon, Whiting said in a news release.

The sentence includes no eligibility for any form of early release from custody and a provision for lifetime supervision.

Parrish previously was convicted of attempted sexual abuse of a minor and ordered to register as a sex offender in Deschutes County in 2011.

The judge found Parrish had sexually abused a family acquaintance on at least two occasions over the course of several years.

The conviction on a charge of first-degree unlawful sexual penetration carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 300 months in prison under Ballot Measure 11 when the offense involves a child under the age of 12.

At sentencing, the state asked the judge to impose the 375-month sentence due to the years of ongoing abuse and Parrish’s extensive criminal history dating back to 1969.

Parrish’s defense attorney requested a lesser, 175-month sentence, arguing the longer penalty was cruel and unusual and a violation of his constitutional rights, Whiting said.

The DA said Parrish declined to speak when given an opportunity to do so in court before the judge sentenced him.

The case came to police attention after the child victim confided to her minor stepsister that Parrish had been sexually abusing her for years, Whiting said. The stepsister then shared these disclosures with their parents, who immediately went to Prineville police to make a report.

Sgt. Mark Monroe successfully led the investigation on behalf of the Prineville Police Department, the DA said.

Shortly after the child came forward with detailed information about Parrish’s abuse, he fled to California. After a grand jury returned an indictment for several counts of sexual abuse, a nationwide arrest warrant was issued by the court in February 2014.

Prineville police “diligently coordinated with local, state and federal authorities to try and locate Stanley Parrish and place him under arrest,” Whiting wrote in his news release. “For almost three years, defendant was able to successfully elude capture.”

In August 2016, the Prineville Police Department released a new phone app and Facebook page to better involve the community. One such feature was the “Most Wanted” section, listing individuals the police wanted to locate and arrest.

Less than a week after the launch of the new features, an alert citizen spotted Parrish at a Walmart in Shasta County, California and called police. Parrish was arrested on state and federal warrants and extradited back to Oregon to face charges. He has remained in custody since his return.

“The Crook County District Attorney’s Office is appreciative of the outstanding efforts of our community partners in achieving a successful prosecution of this case,” Whiting said.

“The KIDS Center provided invaluable support to both the victim and her family and provided expert testimony at trial. The Prineville Police Department thoroughly investigated the case and helped bring defendant back to the State of Oregon for prosecution.”

The State of Oregon was represented by Whiting and defendant was represented by Matthew Murphy.