BAKERSFIELD, California – After almost three decades, CC Rider Thomas, a convicted rapist and assailant, faced another denial of his release by the Board of Parole Hearings. Thomas has been incarcerated for nearly 29 years following his 1997 conviction for a violent assault.
On March 10, 1996, Thomas brutalized and sexually assaulted a 36-year-old mother of four in the vicinity of a Vons Shopping Center in Bakersfield, as detailed by the Kern County District Attorney’s Office. Inflicting grave injuries on the victim, Thomas forcibly took her to her own vehicle during the attack. Despite the victim’s escape attempt by jumping from the moving car, she sustained further harm. Subsequent DNA evidence confirmed Thomas’s culpability in the crime.
Convicted on charges of rape with severe bodily harm, kidnapping during a carjacking causing significant injury, and carjacking leading to substantial harm, Thomas received multiple life sentences with the potential for parole after a period, along with an additional five-year term.
Deputy District Attorney Gina Nargie, speaking on behalf of the office during Thomas’s most recent parole hearing, requested a rejection of his release. The Board of Parole Hearings, assessing Thomas’s continued danger to society, issued a postponement of parole for three years in their decision.
District Attorney Zimmer expressed the gravity of the case, underscoring the office’s dedication to advocating for victims’ rights and general public safety. Zimmer firmly opposed Thomas’s potential release, citing the substantial risk his presence outside of prison would pose to the community.