OROVILLE, CA (MPG) – On February 12, 2020, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) announced the arrest of Jasson Stepp, age 40 of Oroville, California, for the murder of William Chrisman. The arrest is the culmination of an investigation that began in January 2018. At that time the Butte County Sheriff’s Office began investigating a murder in the Berry Creek area that was reported on January 4, 2018. Chrisman was 68 years old at the time of his death. For the past two years, Butte County Sheriff’s detectives have continued to investigate Chrisman’s murder.

While investigating the murder, detectives located evidence linking Stepp to an unrelated burglary. Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Stepp for a felony count of burglary. Stepp has been in custody at the Butte County Jail for the burglary case since January 2020. Over the past seven months detectives have been working with the Butte County District Attorney’s Office and conducting additional follow-up on the murder case.

On the afternoon of February 11, 2020, Butte County Sheriff’s detectives booked Stepp into the Butte County Jail for one felony count of murder. Stepps’ bail was set at $1,000,000. Stepp is expected to be arraigned on February 14, 2020, at 3:00 PM in the Butte County Superior Court.

The Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information about this investigation to contact Detective Joe Hooks at 530-538-7671.

Sheriff Kory Honea said, “I am proud of the persistent determination of the many detectives who have worked throughout the years to bring justice to William and closure to his family.”