A state board granted parole to a Marin County man who was convicted of a crime spree that included the attempted murder of a teenager and the theft of celebrity chef Guy Fieri’s Lamborghini.
Max Wade was 17 when he was arrested. He was tried as an adult and sentenced to 21 years to life in 2014. Now 29, Wade is currently serving his sentence at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, according to prison records.
Wade had his sentence shortened by 10 years in 2021 when a Marin County Superior Court judge reduced Wade’s penalty for a gun offense. The decision made him eligible for parole in August 2025.
San Rafael attorney Charles Dresow represented him in 2021. He said after the parole hearing on July 11 that his client earned his parole through good behavior and rehabilitation.
After testifying at the Max Wade trial Monday, chef Guy Fieri talks outside court about the theft of his yellow Lamborghini. (Marin Independent Journal/Gary Klien file photo)
“Max was sentenced as an adult for crimes he committed while a juvenile,” he said. “Proving truth to the argument that the young have a greater ability to reform, Max has done an excellent job staying out of trouble in prison. He successfully navigated the challenges of that environment.”
Marin County District Attorney Lori Frugoli on Monday condemned the board’s decision.
“The release of Max Wade is shocking, frightening, and disappointing, considering the circumstances,” she said.
The district attorney added that her staff made a strong appeal to the parole board to consider that Wade was already on probation as a juvenile “while methodically planning a series of dangerous crimes in our county.” They said that his release would pose a danger to the community.
“We disagree with their assessment that he does not pose an unreasonable risk of safety to our community,” Frugoli said.
Wade’s conviction centers on a 2012 incident in Mill Valley when at age 17 he committed a drive-by shooting. Investigators said that he fired several shots into a pickup truck that was occupied by teenagers Landon Wahlstrom and Eva Dedier.
Authorities alleged that Wade was infatuated with Dedier and planned the assault after learning she had a relationship with Wahlstrom. Wade was convicted of attempting to murder Wahlstrom. He was acquitted of the charge that he also tried to kill Dedier.
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Investigators later confronted Wade when they visited his storage locker in Richmond. Authorities said that he brandished a loaded handgun before detectives tackled him. They later searched the rented locker and discovered Fieri’s $200,000 car that was stolen during a burglary in San Francisco. Detectives found evidence that Wade planned to ship the car overseas and sell it to a dealership in the Dominican Republic. In the locker, they also found firearms, a police uniform, and radio jammers.
Investigators also said they learned that Wade planned to rob a San Francisco jewelry store and flee by helicopter.
Following the parole board’s decision to grant parole to Wade, his case must be reviewed for final approval by the state Board of Parole Hearings and the governor.
Mary Xjimenez, spokesperson for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said that process can take up to 150 days. Under state law, an incarcerated person who was not convicted of a sex offense may be released back to his or her last county of legal residence.
Frugoli said that her staff is evaluating their next steps regarding the parole decision.
