A 40-year-old Oroville man has admitted to threatening to kill a Hispanic woman and her two young children while shouting racial slurs at Palermo Park last year, closing out a felony hate crime case that had been delayed for months by a competency dispute. Orrin Tyler Colbourn pleaded no contest to one felony count of criminal threats and one felony count of violating the victim's civil rights, according to seed facts in the case.
As reported by Action News Now, the confrontation happened on August 29, 2025, while the family was playing at the park. Colbourn approached the woman and her children, yelled white power slogans, used a racial slur, and told the victim to go back to Mexico. He also claimed he was taking over the park and said he ran it, following the woman as she backed away out of fear for her safety and her children's safety, the outlet reports.
A male witness reported the incident to the Butte County Sheriff's Office after overhearing the racial slurs and seeing Colbourn's threatening behavior, per the same account. Authorities determined that what Colbourn touched on his side, and what appeared to be a weapon, was a screwdriver tucked into his pants. He was arrested at the scene by responding sheriff's deputies, according to a Butte County filing.
Court Testimony Detailed Ages of Children Present
During an October 1, 2025 preliminary hearing, Butte County Superior Court Judge Michael Deems ordered Colbourn held to answer on the felony criminal threats and hate crime charges after hearing testimony from the victim and an investigating sheriff's deputy. Court records described by Butte County show the mother testified that her two children present during the incident were ages 2 and 9.
At the time of his arrest, Colbourn was on state parole following 2024 felony convictions for auto theft and hit-and-run driving causing serious injury, which triggered an immediate no-bail hold at the Butte County Jail, according to the county's account. He has remained in custody continuously since his arrest, per the seed reporting.
Competency Dispute Delayed Proceedings for Months
A court-appointed psychologist declared Colbourn incompetent to stand trial, and a judge suspended proceedings in February 2026, according to the seed facts. He received treatment in the Butte County Jail before a judge declared him competent to stand trial on August 19, 2026, clearing the way for the case to move forward again.
The jury trial, which had been scheduled to begin September 28, was vacated because of Colbourn's plea. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 28, and per Mike Ramsey, the Butte County District Attorney, Colbourn faces a maximum sentence of three years and eight months in state prison.
Prior Custody History and Litigation
Federal court records in Bassett v. County of Butte, documented by CaseMine, show Colbourn previously spent roughly three years housed in the Butte County Jail during civil commitment proceedings, during which jail records noted incidents of him harassing and threatening fellow inmates. He has also filed pro se federal civil rights lawsuits against local government entities, including a 2023 suit against the Butte Courthouse and a 2025 suit against Rivera, both filed while in custody in the Eastern District of California, according to records maintained by GovInfo.
Ramsey, whose office prosecuted Colbourn, is California's longest-serving elected district attorney, having held the office continuously for more than 35 years, per North State Public Radio. Ramsey said hate crimes and racially motivated threats strike at the core of community values and residents' fundamental rights, and he said the prosecution sends a message that such conduct will not be tolerated in Butte County.
Legal Stakes of the Plea
Under California Penal Code Section 422, felony criminal threats are a wobbler offense punishable by up to three years in state prison, and a conviction requires proof that a threat caused reasonable and sustained fear, according to FindLaw. The charge also constitutes a strike under California's Three Strikes Law. Separately, Penal Code Section 422.6, the state's standalone hate crime statute, criminalizes the use of force or threats to willfully intimidate or interfere with another person's civil rights because of actual or perceived protected characteristics such as race or nationality.
Broader Pattern of Anti-Hispanic Hate Crimes
Statewide data released by the California Department of Justice in July shows that reported hate crime events involving anti-Hispanic or Latino bias increased by 30.3% from 2024 to 2025 across California, even as overall reported hate crime incidents fell by 3.4%. California Attorney General Rob Bonta highlighted the data while urging local law enforcement to recommit to anti-hate measures, per a statement carried by the State of California Department of Justice.
Palermo, the unincorporated Butte County community where the park sits, had an estimated population of 5,270 residents with a 22.4% Hispanic or Latino population as of 2024, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures, with non-Hispanic white residents making up the majority. Palermo Park serves as a primary recreational venue for south Butte County and hosts community events, including an annual September festival that raises funds to support the local sheriff's substation, according to county background materials.
