Details emerge on California serial killer's criminal past

STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) — A man suspected of killing six men and wounding a woman in a series of shootings in Northern California has a criminal history that includes traffic violations and convictions for drug crimes, authorities said Monday.

Stockton police arrested Wesley Brownlee, 43, on Saturday after surveilling him as he drove through the streets of the city, armed with a handgun and possibly “out hunting” for another victim, police said.

In January 1999, Brownlee had been sentenced to two years in prison in Alameda County, which encompasses the city of Oakland, for possessing and selling a controlled substance, the California corrections department said. He was released on parole in August 1999 after serving seven months.

Brownlee was again convicted in Alameda County in December 2001 and sentenced to three years for the same crime. He was released to parole in May 2003 and discharged from parole three years later.

Prosecutors in San Joaquin County, which includes Stockton, were working Monday with the city's police department to review the evidence and expect to file charges Tuesday, said Elisa Bubak, a spokesperson for the prosecutor's office.

It was not immediately known if Brownlee has an attorney who can comment on his behalf.

Court documents show he was first arrested at age 15 in Alameda County on suspicion of selling crack cocaine and was placed on house arrest, The East Bay Times reported.

In 1997, at age 18, Brownlee was arrested again and charged with possessing crack cocaine and was sentenced to a three-year probation term. His probation was revoked a year later after he sold cocaine to an undercover police officer, and in 1999 he was sentenced to two years in state prison and sent to San Quentin, the newspaper reported.

Brownlee grew up in Oakland...