The Chowchilla school bus kidnapper inspired by ‘Dirty Harry’ is denied parole

In 1976, Woods, along with Richard and James Schoenfeld, kidnapped 26 children and their bus driver in Chowchilla, California. The kidnapping was inspired by the 1971 film "Dirty Harry." All three kidnappers were initially sentenced to 27 life sentences without the possibility of parole. Today, Woods was denied parole for the 17th time, according to information provided by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Richard was paroled in 2012; his brother James walked out of prison a free man just a few years later in 2015. The children were driven about 100 miles away to a remote quarry and forced into a moving van buried six feet underground while their kidnappers asked for a $5 million ransom. For 16 hours, they waited for either rescue or death. It was the largest mass kidnapping in US history.Ultimately, none of the 26 children or their bus driver Edward Ray were physically harmed, but the trauma has had "a multi-generational effect," survivor Jennifer Brown Hyde told CNN. Brown Hyde said she was nine years old when her childhood ended on that bus in Chowchilla, but says it has not defined her.In the last 43 years, coping with being kidnapped and buried alive has been a journey."It eases as I get older, but as I had children it got hardeRead More – Source