A Chico radio station worker has admitted he will not fight an attempted murder charge, ending the prospect of a trial in a stabbing that rattled a local broadcast studio last summer.
Prosecutors say the June 18 incident at Results Radio left a coworker trapped on a rear patio while colleagues and Chico police scrambled to intervene. The victim sustained minor injuries and did not need to be hospitalized.
According to Action News Now, 30-year-old Kevin Leeson entered a no-contest plea to one count of attempted murder in Butte County Superior Court on Wednesday. The move sidelines a jury trial and pushes the case into the sentencing phase. Any negotiated terms and a specific sentencing date had not yet been released.
Police account of the June attack
The Chico Police Department reports that officers were dispatched just before 9 a.m. on June 18 after a local business reported that an employee had stabbed a coworker. Responding officers found the victim trapped on a rear patio while the suspect remained inside the building, according to the department’s press release. Police say officers breached a fence to get the injured worker to safety and then brought in crisis negotiators, who secured the suspect’s peaceful surrender.
Investigators later concluded that the suspect intended to kill multiple coworkers, a detail reported by CBS Sacramento.
Station, bail and arraignment
Leeson was arraigned in June, when his bail was set at $555,000 and he was booked on attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon charges. Barrett Media reported on the initial appearance and bail amount. Results Radio’s Chico offices are listed at 856 Manzanita Court, according to the station’s website.
What a no-contest plea means
Under California law, a plea of nolo contendere, or no contest, is treated like a guilty plea for conviction and sentencing, although it can limit how the plea is used as an admission in related civil lawsuits. California Penal Code §1016 specifies that a no-contest plea results in a conviction for most criminal purposes.
Butte County Superior Court will set a sentencing date, which will be reflected in the court record as the case moves forward. Local officials have credited station staff and Chico police for acting quickly, saying the rapid response helped prevent what could have been a far more serious outcome.
