Schizophrenic Transient Sentenced For Flashing, Burglary

SEAL BEACH, CA — A schizophrenic transient who thought he was an all-powerful god sent to seduce women was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison, Tuesday. Richard Michael Parkhurst, 29, was found guilty of sneaking into a Seal Beach woman's home and sucking on her toes, along with felony burglary and misdemeanors of peeking into an inhabited building and two counts of indecent exposure.

Parkhurst was convicted in February of one felony burglary count and three misdemeanors -- one count of peeking into an inhabited building and two counts of indecent exposure.

Orange County Superior Court Judge James Rogan sentenced Parkhurst to two years in prison for the burglary and 18 months in the Orange County Jail on the misdemeanor convictions.

Parkhurst, who has been in custody since Oct. 16, 2017, likely has enough credit for time served behind bars in jail to satisfy the punishment for the misdemeanors.

Jurors deadlocked 8-4 in favor of guilt on a felony count of assault with the intent to commit a sex offense. That count was dismissed by prosecutors to accept the conviction for the lesser-included offense of burglary.

In October of 2017, Parkhurst exposed himself to a woman who was walking her dog in Seal Beach, remarking to her: "Nice dog. I am walking mine, too," according to court papers.

On the same day, he snuck into her residence. She woke up to find Parkhurst "sucking on her toes," according to prosecutors. DNA evidence linked him to that crime, they proved.

On Oct. 16, 2017, Parkhurst was peeking through a mail slot of a home in the same city, two days after he had passed by the residence and remarked that the resident's girlfriend was attractive. While Parkhurst was in custody that day, a guard at the Seal Beach jail caught him touching himself while staring at her, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors alleged he also passed a perverse note to a jail guard while housed in the Orange County Jail.

Parkhurst's attorney said in court papers that the defendant was homeless at the time. When his girlfriend died, he lost his home and stopped taking medicine for schizophrenia, according to his lawyer, who said Parkhurst "began hearing voices emanating from his television, telling him to do things" before being hospitalized at one point.

"Mr. Parkhurst developed a delusion that he was a Zeus-like god who was sent down from the stars to seduce women," his attorney wrote. "It was his destiny to seduce women, and they would willingly have his children. Mr. Parkhurst believes that is progeny will create a super race that will save the planet."

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City News Service contributed to this report.